Nearly a third of dementia patients surveyed in South East put off seeking diagnosis for over two years
A Surrey dementia patient is urging people to seek help early on as almost a third with the disease in the South East battle symptoms for over two years before getting a diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s Society says people are missing out on treatment and care because “they think they’re just getting old”.
And just over a quarter the charity surveyed in the Surrey, Sussex and Kent region said they did not go to the GP because they were too scared.
They said the coronavirus pandemic has caused diagnosis rates to plunge and encourage anyone worried about themselves or someone they love to contact them for support without delay.
Peter Harvey, of Caterham, says an early dementia diagnosis nipped his problems in the bud.
He spoke of his sadness to see elderly friends at bowls show strong symptoms of the disease, but be in denial.
“They believe if they say it out loud, it would somehow get worse,” he said.
“They would get better if they took tablets and sought help, but so many refuse to admit it to themselves as they are scared.”
An online survey of more than 1,000 people with dementia and their carers at the end of last year found 29 per cent in the South East lived with the condition for more than two years after first noticing their symptoms, before getting a diagnosis.
One of the main reasons for delay, according to 32 per cent of respondents in the area, was that they dismissed symptoms like repeatedly asking the same question as a sign of getting old.
Almost half (46 per cent) who were diagnosed after two years only ended up asking for help because they’d had an accident, while more than half, 54 per cent, said they would not recognise the symptoms.
‘I couldn’t tell the difference between the various cereals’
Mr Harvey said he started going to write an appointment in his diary but realising it was already there.
He would forget what he had watched on TV the night before and struggle to add up simple sums in the supermarket.
Despite noticing things getting fuzzier in his mind, at first his wife thought it was simply due to tiredness, while he thought it might be a by-product of his heart bypass the year before.
He said: “When I went down the supermarket aisles, all the products looked like they were in a Spanish store and written in another language. I couldn’t tell the difference between the various cereals.
“After seeing someone a few times in my local shopping centre, I started thinking I recognised them because they were film stars. I would say hello, and they would look at me weirdly. My brain was tricking me.”
After two months the former mobile telecommunications manager took himself to his GP for a series of memory tests, before getting referred to a specialist memory team.
‘You don’t have to face dementia alone’
The 68-year-old said he was anxious about collecting his MRI results, but he wanted an outcome whatever it was.
“I did not want to leave there not knowing what was going on or what could be done,” he said.
“The quicker you get diagnosed, the less damage you will do.”
Mr Harvey began taking tablets and after fine-tuning the dosage, he said life improved immeasurably and allowed him to stay “on the right side of reality”.
More than 17,000 people are living with dementia in Surrey and with diagnosis rates at a five-year low, many are missing out on access to care.
Jolian Ardolino, Alzheimer’s Society’s area manager for Surrey, Sussex and Kent, said: “Asking the same question over and over again is not called getting old, it’s called getting ill.
“If you’re worried for yourself or someone you love, take the first step this Dementia Action Week – come to Alzheimer’s Society for support.
“Yes, getting a diagnosis can be daunting, but it is worth it. More than nine in 10 people with dementia told us they benefited from getting a diagnosis – it gave them crucial access to treatment, care and support, and precious time to plan for the future.
“You don’t have to face dementia alone, we’re here to support everyone affected.”
The charity has worked closely with leading clinicians to ease the diagnosis process with a new ‘symptoms checklist’ available on their new online hub, highlighting changes that might be due to dementia.
Symptoms of the disease include problems with memory, thinking or language, and changes in mood, emotions, perception and behaviour.
For support visit alzheimers.org.uk/memoryloss or call 0333 150 3456.