Ageism means OAPs with ‘curable’ conditions are being diagnosed with dementia warn docs
"Inherent agesim" has led to older patients receiving less attention than other patients
DEMENTIA patients are being written off by the NHS with many “condemned” to poorer health care, doctors have warned.
Medics claim elderly Brits with the disease often receive less attention when unwell than other patients.
They also said “inherent ageism” means the oldest patients were most likely to be wrongly diagnosed with dementia - when they might have a curable condition instead.
The revelations were made by doctors at the Dementias 2017 conference at the Royal College of GPs in London this week.
Dr Peter Bagshaw, a GP from South Gloucestershire, said wrongly diagnosing someone with dementia was a “catastrophe”.
He told the conference: “The thought of missing a preventable diagnosis that is the thing that for me keeps me awake at night.
“Is there anyone we are condemning to a diagnosis of dementia who might have something that is treatable and reversible? Because that to me would be a catastrophe.”
Another doctor, who did not give her name, admitted doctors tended to make less effort to help patients if they had Alzheimer’s.
She said: “Sometimes even if I think someone who is 95 has Alzheimer’s disease, I might not diagnose it because I know it will be a negative stigma for the patient.
“It won’t be in the patient’s best interests to have the diagnosis because once they have that diagnosis we won’t care about their physical health as much.
“It’s very serious thing because in a hospital a doctor will say: ‘[the patient is] 94, has dementia - OK we don’t care as much about his physical health’.”
Dr Jonathan Waite, a consultant in old age psychiatry from Nottingham, said he felt the health service prioritised the care of younger people over the elderly.
He said: “Older people have been contributing to the system their whole lives yet we seem to prioritise resources on the young.”
Rachel Thompson, of Dementia UK said: “People with dementia have a right to equal access to treatment, support and care irrespective of their condition.
“Dementia affects everyone – the person with the condition and their family and friends.
"It is critical that the correct support and care systems are in place to ensure the well-being of everyone involved.”
And Caroline Abrahams, charity director for Age UK, said: “Dementia can be diagnosed incorrectly, which is extremely unfortunate and potentially alarming for older people and their families alike.
“This is why it is so crucial that GPs and other clinicians are trained properly in this area and have a good understanding of all the health problems older people may face.”
Alzheimer’s and dementia affect around 850,000 Brits.
And the number is forecast to hit one million in under a decade and two million by 2051.
There is no effective treatment, with current medications only helping to slow down the symptoms.