A new report on death, from the Office for National Statistics, gives insight into the number of excess dementia deaths in England and Wales during the pandemic. While the deaths registered are not directly attributed to the virus, the 50% increase in excess deaths of people dying of dementia during the pandemic is the largest surge in deaths of any health condition. The Alzheimer’s Society (UK) suspects that isolation and loneliness during confinement, the resulting onset of depression, as well as the interruption to vital health services have contributed to this. The Society also draws the conclusion that there has likely been some underreporting of COVID-19 deaths.
Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at Alzheimer’s Society said: “From the start, people with dementia have been worst hit by coronavirus, with thousands dying from both the virus and its wider impact.” “The Government’s new Social Care Taskforce must address the complex needs of people with dementia in this crisis, and its first urgent task should be to understand why so many people with dementia have died since the pandemic started.”
Early research is showing that many people with dementia do not necessarily display typical symptoms, or may even be asymptomatic. Alzheimer’s Society has therefore also stressed the importance of regular testing of all care home staff and residents, to ensure the safest environment possible. The UK Government must learn lessons from this and consider how best to protect the lives of people with dementia, should there be a second peak of the virus.
Read the ONS report: https://bit.ly/ONSReportNonCOVID
Read Alzheimer’s Society’s responses: https://bit.ly/AlzSocResponse1 and https://bit.ly/AlzSocResponse2
