Researchers highlight the escalating demand for care in the future
The number of people suffering from cognitive impairment in England will rise by 66% by 2031, according to research conducted by the London School of Economics (LSE).
The study, based on assump-tions about future mortality and prevalence rates, suggests the number of people with the condition, which includes Alzheimer's disease sufferers, will rise from 461,000 to 765,000 over the next three decades.
Researchers highlighted the impending rise in demand for long term care (LTC) services unless more effective treatments are developed.
According to projections detailed in the report, the cost of providing LTC to older people with cognitive impairment will more than double in real terms.
This means the care bill will increase from today's figure of £4.6bn to nearly £11bn by 2031 ' a more acute rise than the projected LTC expenditure on older people as a whole.
The report was commissioned by the Alzheimer's Research Trust and is the first independent study looking at the impact that cognitive impairment could have on future LTC costs in England. The research concludes that if treatments developed were to reduce the percentage of older people with severe cognitive impairment by just 1%, it would offset the increasing care costs in England.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: 'These figures show the urgent need to find an effective and permanent treatment for Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Research in the UK is severely under-funded, yet offers a real hope for finding an answer to dementia.
'This report also highlights the importance of developing appropriate formal services for those with cognitive impairment, which is rising faster than overall figures for long term care requirements might have indicated previously.'
