Research predicts growing palliative care demand for people with dementia  

Research carried out as part of the Empowering Better End of Life Dementia Care (EMBED-Care) programme and published in Palliative Medicine has shown that demand for palliative care for people with dementia could sharply increase by 2040. 

The researchers used three different models to show how palliative care needs could increase, with the biggest growth predicted to be 676,000 people needing palliative care by 2040 (up from 274,000 in 2018). 

Emel Yorganci, lead author and research associate at King’s College London, says:  

“Our projections show that the number of people living with dementia who have palliative care needs will substantially increase each year; much more than our previous predictions.  

The current health and social care systems are not equipped to provide high-quality care and support to the increasing number of people with dementia and their families. The government must act now and prioritise investing in building health and social care systems and a workforce equipped to deliver palliative care to people affected by dementia.” 

You can read the research here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163241269773