Assistance, rehabilitation, early diagnosis, family support and prevention. It’s priority of the regional dementia project which establishes strategies for the promotion and improvement of interventions aimed at the correct management, integrated at a regional level, of dementia.
Information, citizen awareness and the results achieved thanks to the commitment of the health and social system of the Emilia Romagna region I’m at the center of the conference “Dementia: current events and prospects” that takes place today in Bolognaas part of the initiatives for XXX World Alzheimer’s Day, which is celebrated every year on September 21st, with the participation of many specialists in the sector and representatives of the families of people with dementia.
The numbers and the assistance network in Emilia-Romagna
In Emilia-Romagna, where approximately 22% of the population is over 65 years old to 31 December 2022, the patients in the care of the Regional Health Service with dementia are 63.543, 60% of whom have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s (38,125 people), while approximately 50% are affected by medium-severe forms of dementia. The prevalence is 22.8 people with dementia per 1,000 inhabitantscirca 1.4% of the total resident population and the 5.84% of the resident population over 65 years old.
In 2022despite the continuing consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, were assessed as first visit 30.145 people (there were 28,796 in 2021) and carried out 21,165 new diagnoses of dementia (17,324 in 2021). Furthermore, a specific path was started by the Region for the treatment of cases, with atypical and more aggressive onset, which occur before the age of 65: the so-called juvenile dementia (“Early Onset Dementia”), which allowed the interception 1,508 almost in 2022 (1,421 in 2021). Between first visits and checks the regional network comes into contact with approximately 80,000 people per year.
On the regional territory they are 63 Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia (CDCD) dedicated to diagnosis and treatment and taken care of by multi-professional teams (geriatricians, neurologists, psychologists and nurses), while they are 13 residential units in CRAs for temporary assistance to people with dementia e 9 the Alzheimer’s day centers present from Piacenza to Rimini.