'Huge pressure' on services if dementia cases rise

Dr Nicola Brink said the island needed to move to focussing on preventing illnesses as well as treating them

Increasing numbers of people developing dementia would put "huge pressure" on local services, according to the Guernsey Alzheimer's Association.

It follows the release of a report into the future of island health which found cases of dementia were likely to increase by 61% by 2043.

Manager Julie Thompson said the figure was "quite frightening".

Director of public health Dr Nicola Brink said the case for prevention of various illnesses, including dementia, "had never been stronger".

Ms Thompson said the Alzheimer's Association had seen "quite a growth" in people being diagnosed with dementia.

"We have more and more referrals into the charity," she said.

"People with different types of dementia. It's not just Alzheimer's, it's frontal temporal lobe dementia, vascular dementia, we are seeing an increase in numbers due to the ageing population. "

'Huge pressure'

The report from Dr Brink said the island needed to focus on preventing illnesses as well as treating them.

Mrs Thompson said high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in mid-life and vision loss in later-life had been identified as "new risk factors" for developing dementia.

"But there's other factors, there's your weight, obesity, smoking, reducing alcohol."

She said the potential rise in dementia cases would put "huge pressure" on the association.

"I think it's quite frightening, really," she said.