Women are more likely to be affected by Dementia in addition to being more likely to be carers, according to a debate that highlighted the disease in the House of Lords recently.
Charity Alzheimer’s Research UK launched its report Women and Dementia: A Marginalised Majority during the event.
Dementia is caused by brain diseases that lose to loss of brain cells, impairing the brains ability to function. Currently, 850,000 people in the UK have Dementia and there are no treatments available to stop or slow the course of these diseases.
Alzheimer’s Research UK’s report found that of the 500,000 people with dementia, 61% are women and that women in their 60s are almost twice as likely to Alzheimer’s disease over the rest of their lives as they are to develop breast cancer.
Furthermore, Dementia was found to be the leading cause of death for women in the UK, accounting for 12% of women’s deaths in 2013. 60-70% of all unpaid Dementia carers are women and women were found to be more than twice as likely to be providing intensive, 24 hour care, compare to men.
Speaking at the event was Shaheen Larrieux, who is a former chemical engineer and management consultant, and an MBA graduate of MIT Sloan School of Management. She gave up her career to become a full-time carer when her mother was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Larrieux said: “Mum’s disease first started with changes in her behaviour: she became aggressive and began to fall out with friends, and as the disease crept on we noticed her behaviour becoming more extreme. At first no-one put it down to a medical issue, and we had a long struggle to get an accurate diagnosis. We found there was very little support, and even now that we have a care package in place for Mum, it can be a full-time job to make sure her needs are met.
“Mum is still relatively young and physically active, but slowly all the doors started shutting in terms of living as part of the community. There is still a stigma attached to dementia and a lack of understanding, but I hope that by sharing my experiences I can help make more people aware of the realities of the condition.”
Two years ago Valerie Blumenthal was diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) – a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease that attacks the back of the brain, responsible for visual function.
“At first I noticed problems with orientation and tackling steps was a nightmare. I used to love driving but increasingly I began having minor accidents: clipping the curb, or, worse, the wing mirrors of oncoming cars,” she said.
“It took three years to get a diagnosis of PCA and during that time I became an expert at bluffing to my friends and family to cover up why I no longer did the things I enjoyed so much, like playing the piano, reading and painting. Because of my visual problems, caused by the disease, I can now no longer write a cheque let alone read a book. But as devastating as this diagnosis is, it’s a relief not to have to pretend anymore. Although PCA is considered rare, I believe there are many more people like me who have not been diagnosed.”
Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said: “Shaheen and Valerie’s stories will be recognised by many families across the UK, and our report shows that women are being hit particularly hard by this devastating condition.
“The experiences of these women underline the urgent need to tackle the diseases that cause dementia – if we could delay the onset of dementia by five years we could reduce the number of people with the condition, and the number of carers, by a third. Investment in research is vital if we are to find new preventions and treatments capable of transforming people’s lives.”
