Population aspects of the dementias

In the United Kingdom there are some key facts which have implications for policies and services for people with dementia. The first group are to do with older people and their position in the total population. Overall the population of this country is projected to increase, but only by 0.2%. However, within that the population is ageing, i.e. the proportion of older people in the population is projected to increase and the proportion of very old people in the older population is also projected to increase. Also of significance is that the population of working age is projected to decline. Second gender and marital status are important variables. Third is the need to consider where people live. The two important facts here are that the proportion of people living alone is increasing, and expected to grow further, and family patterns are changing. Both of these will have an effect on who is available to care. But we also need to look at the implications of population change in the EU which have implications for the UK. Some of the implications and issues of these population aspects are then discussed.