LONDON (Reuters) – A global rise in cases of the mind-robbing Alzheimer’s disease is creating a chronic shortage of carers, with the number of old people dependent on care set to nearly treble to 277 million by 2050, according to a report by a leading dementia charity.
Half of all older people who need personal care have dementia, the report by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) said, and governments should make dementia a priority by implementing national plans and starting urgent debate on how to ensure long-term care for future generations.
Alzheimer’s is a fatal brain disease that has no cure and few effective treatments. It affects memory, thinking and behaviour and is placing an increasingly heavy burden on societies and economies across the world.
