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Dementia risk higher in people with Learning Disabilities

PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITY MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP DEMENTIA

According to a recently released article by Learning Disability Today, people with learning disabilities are more likely to develop dementia and it is more common for those with Down's Syndrome with an early and more rapid onset within this group.

Dementia is a progressive condition that affects mental processes like memory and problem-solving to mood and behaviour. Around 100,000 people are living with dementia and this is anticipated to increase to 1.4 million people by 2040.

For those with more complex learning disabilities, the initial symptoms are more likely to be less obvious and can go unrecognised, impacting on the quality of life, life chances, life expectancy and experience of services. Some research suggests that people with a learning disability, are five times more likely to develop dementia as they get older compared to the general population.

For further details on the article, please click here