Lest we forget: dementia is a woman's burden

Nothing made the oft-repeated Women's Day messaging around preparing for retirement more real for me than my recent frequent visits to a home for the frail.

In it the women outnumber men six to one. And the percentage of the women suffering from cognitive impairments that come with Alzheimer's disease or some other kind of dementia is around 60%.Already there are 50 million people worldwide living with dementia, which is not a normal part of ageing but a chronic illness that affects memory and the brain's processing ability, robbing you eventually of the ability to perform basic things like talking, eating, swallowing and walking.

The World Health Organisation expects over the next 12 years that the number will grow to 82 million, and by 2050 some 152 million will be living with dementia.

Dementia is not only a women's problem, but it does affect women more severely than men as women make up the majority of those living with dementia. Australian and US statistics show that two-thirds of those living with dementia are women.

Breast cancer is a disease many women fear but American women over the age of 60 are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent form of dementia, then they are to develop breast cancer, according to BBC Future. Women who are not afflicted often find themselves caring for spouses who are and facing aggression and other behaviour problems, which they are ill-equipped to handle.

For more details, visit: https://alzheimers-dementia.pulsusconference.com/

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