Living at home with dementia JSNA (2025)

The national picture

• Dementia is a growing challenge with over half of the population knowing someone living with dementia.
• While over 450,000 people in England are living with a recorded diagnosis of dementia, many people are unaware they have the condition, with an estimated 250,000 individuals undiagnosed in England.
• After the age of 65, the likelihood of developing dementia roughly doubles every five years. However, for some, dementia can develop earlier, presenting different issues for the person affected, their carer and their family.
• England has an ageing population with more than 1 in every 5 of us are over the age of 60. The number of older adults with dementia is predicted to rise from over 700,000 to 1 million by 2030, and over 1.3 million by 2040.
• Dementia has a greater prevalence in women, accounting for 60% of UK cases, which is possibly due women having longer life expectancies than men, and this increasing their risk of dementia in older age.
• There are around 540,000 carers of people with dementia in England. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people will care for a person with dementia in their lifetime. Half of them are employed and it is thought that some 66,000 people have already cut their working hours to care for a family member, whilst 50,000 people have left work altogether.

 

The local picture

• According to the Department of Health & Social Care, in Cheshire West and Chester the number of adults aged 65 and over diagnosed with dementia has increased since 2017, reaching a total of 3,500 in 2024.
• The dementia diagnosis rate is in line with the national expectation of 66.7% at 66.9%. This suggests that nearly a third of people living with dementia in CW&C are undiagnosed and may not be aware of having the condition.
• Cheshire West and Chester has a slightly higher proportion of adults aged 65 and over compared to national averages.
• The number of people with dementia in the borough is forecast to increase by 29% (1,700) over the next ten years (2023–2033). More than half this increase (1,100) will be in people aged 80+.
• Around 200 additional people are forecast to have severe dementia by 2033 – this may increase demand for residential care as the Alzheimer’s Society estimate two-thirds (66%) of people with severe dementia live in residential or nursing care settings.
• The largest increases of those living with dementia are most likely in deprived areas with national prevalence rates nearly twice as high for those living in the most deprived areas compared to those in the least deprived areas.

 

Risk factors for dementia and strategies to help reduce risk

As reported by Alzheimer’s Research UK, addressing the 14 health and lifestyle factors could prevent nearly half of global dementia cases. The 14 risk factors highlighted by The Lancet standing commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care (2024) are:

• Quality of education
• Obesity
• Hearing impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• High cholesterol
• Physical inactivity
• Diabetes
• Excessive alcohol
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Uncorrected visual impairment
• Social isolation
• Depression
• Air pollution

Strategies to help reduce the modifiable risk factors for dementia include:

• Keeping active
• Not smoking
• Cutting down on alcohol
• Looking after your mental health
• Protecting your head
• Taking care of your hearing
• Looking after your eyes
• Managing your cholesterol levels
• Preventing or managing type 2 diabetes
• Keeping socially active
• Staying sharp
• Managing your blood pressure