Objectives and Future Need - After extensive engagement with people living with/affected by Dementia, carers and partners the Southend, Essex & Thurrock (SET) strategic approach for supporting people affected by Dementia and the Southend, Essex & Thurrock Dementia Strategy 2022-2026 was adopted in Autumn 2022. The Strategy sets out the Southend, Essex and Thurrock mission to make sure that:
- Those who experience dementia, and their families and carers feel they are understood and can access the support they need, when they need it.
- That communities and local organisations are aware of the impact dementia has on those who experience it and their families and carers.
- That support for people with dementia and their families and carers is underpinned by levels of training and expertise among professionals and volunteers.
And to further promote and enhance the conditions which will contribute to a reduction in prevalence and promoting health improvement in the long-term, recognising health inequalities and the wider determinants of health to promote better health outcomes for people across SET.
- There are 21,550 people aged 65 years or above who have been diagnosed with dementia in the administrative County of Essex (NHS England Digital Data).
- Forecast data provided by the Projecting Older People Population Information System (POPPI) anticipates that, assuming the prevalence remains constant, for Essex as a whole there will be almost 10,000 more people aged 65 and over with dementia in 10 years’ time.
- It is also estimated that 15,600 working age adults are living with dementia in Greater Essex.
Of the Essex residents supported by Adult Social Care (ASC):
- 3,400 people have a diagnosis of dementia.
- A further 2,583 people have been identified with cognitive memory impairment.
- Expressed as %ages - 38% of those we support in ASC having some level of cognitive need (1 in 3) with 27% specifically reporting Dementia or Alzheimer’s. The proportions are higher among people receiving domiciliary care (60%) and people living in a care home (65%).
- 64% of those diagnosed with Dementia are female and 70% are aged 80+ (48% are both female and aged 80+).
- Old age dependency ratio: currently equivalent to 335.6 people aged 65+ being economically inactive to every 1,000 working age people. In Southend, this is 310. These are both higher than the national average and whilst this is lower in Thurrock, these are all predicted to increase.
- Around 1 in 5 adults with a learning disability who are over the age of 65 will develop dementia.
- People living with dementia who are over 65 have on average four comorbidities, while people without dementia have on average two and 91.8% of people living with dementia have another health condition.