Design Research for Change: Caring for People Living with Dementia: Introduction

Dementia is the umbrella term for a range of brain diseases that are progressive and chronic in their nature. Symptoms include deterioration in cognitive function, behavioural changes, and functional limitations. The illness has a profound impact on society and those directly affected by the illness. The massive scale of the challenges surrounding dementia and how we best care for people affected by it is illustrated in the fact that someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds. This means there are over 50 million people worldwide living with dementia today. This number will almost double every 20 years, reaching 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050. Much of the increase we will see will be in developing countries. However, the fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in China, India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours. The estimated worldwide cost of dementia is $818 billion US dollars, which represents 1.09% of global GDP. This figure includes costs attributed to informal care (unpaid care provided by family members and friends), direct costs of social care (provided by community care professionals and in residential home settings), and the direct costs of medical care (the costs of treating dementia and other conditions in primary and secondary care). If dementia was a country, it would be the world's 18th largest economy.¹