Calls for increased Lasting Power of Attorney awareness due to an anticipated sharp rise in Dementia numbers
Calls for increased Lasting Power of Attorney awareness due to an anticipated sharp rise in Dementia numbers
According to Alzheimer’s Research, the UK dementia research charity, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase rapidly over the following decades.
Over 530,000 have an Alzheimers’s diagnosis in the UK. It is thought that 850,000 people are actually living with Alzheimers. The estimate is that a million will suffer with it by 2015 and two million by 2050. Globally, the number of people living with dementia will increase from 50m in 2018 to 152m in 2050. That is a 204% increase globally.
See https://www.dementiastatistics.org/statistics-about-dementia/ and https://www.dementiastatistics.org/statistics-about-dementia/prevalence/.
The Law Society Gazette (2 July 2018) warns of a coming crisis (https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/lawyers-warn-of-incapacity-crisis-over-lpas/5066716.article):
“The UK is ‘sleepwalking’ towards a dementia crisis with millions of people failing to take steps to prepare for losing mental capacity, a solicitors organisation has warned. A report published today by Solicitors for the Elderly warns that around 12 million Britons at high risk of future incapacity have not planned ahead to ensure their wishes are followed by appointing a lasting power of attorney (LPA). This comes against the backdrop of a sharp increase in people being diagnosed, or at risk of being diagnosed, with dementia.
“A ‘coalition of partners’, including AgeUK and the Alzheimer’s Society, has been set up and has warned of a forthcoming ‘incapacity crisis’.
“The report, published in conjunction with the Centre for Future Studies (CFS), notes that research shows that 12.8 million people over the age of 65 run the risk of developing dementia, yet there are only 928,000 LPAs currently registered. By 2025 around 13.2 million people will be at risk but only 2.2 million LPAs are expected to be in place.
“More than one third of people admit to not having made any provisions for later life such as writing a will or creating an LPA…”
The “Executive Summary” of the SFE report (download it at https://sfe.legal/the-incapacity-crisis-a-nation-unprepared/) states:
“Dementia has overtaken heart disease as the nation’s leading cause of death.
“SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) has worked closely with leading think tank Centre for Future Studies (CFS) to understand the impact of this, and how prepared the country is to face the rising levels of incapacity.
“Based on forecasting analysis of the evidence, this report suggests the UK is now facing an incapacity crisis. This is caused by the gap between the rising number of us facing incapacity (due to people living longer and the prevalence of conditions like dementia), compared with too few Britons planning ahead for a loss of capacity.
“This paints a worrying picture of a nation leaving our fate in the hands of strangers. Whilst more of us are making provisions for our personal assets and finances, we are still leaving our wishes around our health and care to chance and the choices of others.
“As a nation, we are failing to talk about how we can retain control and dignity should we lose the ability to make our own decisions. Our research found that over three quarters of us have not spoken about, or even considered, our personal medical and care wishes in the event that we lose capacity.
“The primary factors preventing us from confronting the possibility of mental incapacity are; feeling uncomfortable, not knowing how to start the conversation, or where to go for advice. Other reasons include that loved ones do not want to engage with the topic as they do not wish to think about such difficult subjects.
“This report sets out the scale of the ‘incapacity crisis’ and how we can address it before it’s too late. The cost of doing nothing will impact individuals and families across the country, whilst putting further strain on health professionals and services.”