Een samenhangend beeld van dementie en dementiezorg: kerncijfers, behoeften, aanbod en impact. Themarapportage van de Staat van Volksgezondheid en Zorg.

It is estimated that there are currently between 254,000 and 270,000 people with dementia in the Netherlands. Five to ten percent of them are below the age of 65. Due to the ageing population, the number of people with dementia may possibly double between 2015 and 2040. The government is investing in good dementia care, based on the principle that people with dementia can live at home for as long as possible. This publication gives an overview of the available information about dementia care and the personal and societal consequences of dementia. A number of gaps in knowledge is also identified. Little is known about the care needs and experiences of people with dementia; there is more information available about the care needs and experiences of informal carers. The provided care is not always suited to needs. For example, information about dementia and about care options is not always accessible. Informal carers often have a need for case management, by a specialist dementia nurse for example. With this help, informal carers can keep their loved one at home for as long as possible. There is a waiting list for case management in some areas, and the provided day care or other daily activities for people with dementia do not always meet the needs, interests or possibilities of those involved. This is certainly true for people who develop dementia at a relatively young age. Nursing homes require more care providers with expertise in, and affinity for, working with people with dementia. Over recent years the burden on informal carers has grown. Partners, in particular, report that keeping up social contacts and other forms of social participation is very difficult due to caring for their loved one. In addition, there are signals that the need for crisis help is increasing, e.g. in the form of respite nursing home care or acute care in the home. As is the case with the increased burden of informal carers, this may be connected with the policy of keeping people at home for longer. (aut. ref.