LGBT Carers Group newsletter, September 2007

Note: Highlights of this edition are available online. Click on the article titles at the bottom of this page to read each article. A downloadable pdf version of the newsletter is also available.

In February the Society issued some rather disturbing facts about the prevalence of dementia in the United Kingdom, the costs involved in caring for those with the condition and the forecast rise in the numbers of people with dementia up to 2050.

We issued a press release for the gay press at the same time, pointing out the implications of this expected increase for the gay community. Here is the text which was printed on the Pink News website on 21 February:

'A major study on the social and economic impact of dementia in the UK, commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society, through Kings College, London and the London School of Economics has been published today.

The report (Dementia UK: the full report) shows that as the population of the UK ages the number of people with dementia will grow substantially, reaching over 1 million by the year 2025. Currently dementia costs the UK £17billion per year.

Roger Newman MBE, joint founder of the LGBT carers group of the Alzheimer's Society said, 'The implications of these figures for the LGBT community are huge. At least five per cent of the adult population are LGBT people, so the increase in numbers within our community suffering from this terrible condition will be very significant.

At present we estimate that there are 35,000 LGBT with dementia but we have little or no idea where they are. There must be many LGBT people with this condition in domiciliary or residential care without family support and without the type of care fundamental to their needs as gay people.

With the projected increase in numbers suffering from dementia, there is surely an immediate challenge for the LGBT community to mobilise efforts to focus on meeting the needs of our older members.

This is of special importance for the lesbian community when it is known that two thirds of those with dementia are women.

Additionally some research also suggests that there is a connection between recreational drug use and significant memory impairment.'