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Preventing Dementia: Why We Should Focus on Health Promotion Now

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2005

Nicola T. Lautenschlager ,
Osvaldo P. Almeida  and
Leon Flicker
Nicola T. Lautenschlager
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Osvaldo P. Almeida
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Leon Flicker
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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The world's older population has been growing at a rate of 2.4% per year during the past decade, and in the year 2000 there were 580 million people aged 60 years or older (World Health Organization, 1998). With the 85 years and older group being the fastest growing segment of the population, age-related diseases and disabilities are rapidly increasing. Psychiatric morbidity is common in later life; 15% of older adults have clinically significant mental health disorders, with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia taking the lead (Regier et al., 1998). Substantial progress has been made in the quest to unravel the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to dementia, improve the accuracy of early diagnosis, and develop dementia treatment-specific compounds. However, such developments may take decades to have a significant impact on clinical practice.

Keywords

Alzheimer's diseasedementiapreventionhealth promotion
Type
Guest Editorial
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , June 2003 , pp. 111 - 119
Copyright
© 2003 International Psychogeriatric Association