On 18 May, the Alzheimer’s Society published a statement highlighting new data which shows that dementia is the most common pre-existing condition among UK deaths involving COVID-19, issuing a call for improved support of people with dementia in care homes and in the community. In their statement, the Alzheimer’s Society draw attention to the recently-published UK Office of National Statistics figures which show that 25.3% of the 33,841 people who died with COVID-19 in March and April in England and Wales had dementia. Alarmingly, this means that dementia is the main underlying condition for COVID-19 deaths, although the link between dementia and COVID-19 has yet to be fully understood.
The Alzheimer’s Society also emphasised the importance of regular social contact with loved ones for people with dementia, stating that social distancing and shielding measures could cause a more rapid deterioration of dementia, perhaps accounting for the sharp increase in deaths due to dementia (83% higher than usual in England) during April 2020. Issuing a call for Government to invest in measures that guarantee the support and safety of people with dementia, the Alzheimer’s Society ask that Ministers look at long-term support systems that help people with dementia remain in contact with their loved ones. The statement can be found here:
