Ageways 78: Ageing and Dementia

Population ageing is a major achievement of better healthcare. But as a result, we are seeing many more people getting Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Policy-makers have been slow to see the implications of ageing for health systems, and most governments are not prepared for the dementia epidemic. However, there are some good signs. The UN’s first-ever High-level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases in September 2011 made a breakthrough by recognising the importance of ageing and Alzheimer’s disease.