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58% incorrectly believe that dementia care is mostly funded by charities
Research reveals 9 in 10 of the public underestimate the impact of dementia
A public opinion poll conducted by YouGov for EMBED-Care, the UK’s largest ever dementia end-of-life care research programme [1], found that only 42% of the British public are aware that dementia is a terminal illness.
In a representative sample of over 2,000 people, 94% of the public did not know that dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, and 93% did not know that the number of people dying with dementia is projected to more than double by 2040.
Palliative care can improve experiences and outcomes for people with dementia. Yet only half (51%) of Britons were aware of this.
When it comes to what people want from dementia care, ‘involving the person with dementia and their families in care and treatment decisions’ (57%) and ‘good management and treatment of symptoms and providing comfort’ (53%) were at the top of the public’s list. Most of dementia care costs are covered by families. However, only 17% of the public said they are aware of this, and 58% incorrectly believe that dementia care is mostly funded by charities.
NIHR
