FT Health

Business & Dementia

FT SPECIAL REPORT

Wednesday September 18 2019 http://www.ft.com/reports | @ftreports

Detection

Researchers seek ways

to tackle problems of

underdiagnosis

Page 3

Inside

Employment

How can business do

more to accommodate

workers with a dementia

diagnosis?

Page 2

Dementia kit

New products are

helping people stay at

home for longer

Page 3

Demand your rights

People with dementia

are rarely afforded the

same status as other

at-risk groups

Page 4

Drugs

The pharmaindustry is

learning

lessons

from an

R&D

‘disaster

zone’

Page 4

F

aced with tight budgets, the

Gateway care home in Brad-

ford, England, came up with

an unusual solution to getting

residents out and about — a

mock eight-seater train carriage takes

them on a simulated journey that plays

out on two video screens several times a

day.

“Trains go through everyone’s mem-

ory,” says Chris White, the home’s man-

ager. “Many of our residents can’t get

out or it’s expensive, so we figured out

anotherwayofgivingpeopleopportuni-

ties.Youcandothisonashoestring.”

Mr White’s approach underscores the

difficulty care homes face supporting

the rising number of residents with

dementiaandotheracuteconditions.

Althoughthegovernmentencourages

the elderly to remain in their own

houses, this means that care homes are

increasingly receiving patients only

once they have chronic or end-of-life

conditionsthatrequiremorenursing.

The Alzheimer’s Society says 70 per

cent of UK care home residents have

dementia or severe memory problems,

addingtofinancialpressures.

Not all homes can charge more, either

from residents or state authorities. This

leavesmanystrugglingorcuttingactivi-

tiesthathelpstaveoffmentaldecline.

More than 400 care home operators

have collapsed since 2010, according to

Care England, leaving a total today of

around5,000acrosstheUK.

There is set to be a shortfall of 30,000

care home places for people with

Continued on page 2

Nursing

homes seek

new routes for

elderly care

Growth in number of patients with serious illness

adds to financial pressures, writesGill Plimmer

Tickets please: Jack Wilson and Elizabeth Noll ride the Gateway train simulator for an afternoon getaway— Thomas Duffield/FT

The UK cost of dementia is expected

to rise significantly

bn











   

England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

Sources: Alzheimer's Research UK

Many more women are living with

dementia at older ages

Estimated  of people in UK living with dementia,

by age group ()





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Female Male

SEPTEMBER 18 2019 Section:Reports Time: 13/9/2019 - 18:09 User: darren.dodd Page Name: DEM1, Part,Page,Edition: DEM, 1 , 1