The Alzheimer’s bus
Dementia in the NL
The amount of aging is normally expressed in ‘grey pressure’. It is a number that portrays the ratio between the amount of people of 65 years old and up, and persons who are potential caregivers between 20 and 64 years old. (professional/formal and informal caregivers). When we look at the province of Utrecht we see that the amount of demented people grows from 13.000 to 21.000 between 2005-2030 (60%) At this moment 65% of all the demented in Utrecht live at home. Only Utrecht the amount of dementia patients alone will rise with 60 % between 2005 and 2030. That is from almost 13.000 at this moment to more than 21.000 in 2030. (1.220.324 inhabitants (30 November 2009). Considering the current vision about socialization of healthcare, represented by for example the presence approach within nursing homes which is about really being there for the patients instead of seeing them as clients and numbers, a solution has to be searched within small scales by making an appeal to society.
Naomi Cheung San
The Alzheimer’s bus
Naomi Cheung San
Dementia in the NL
The Informal Caregiver – Facts ZZP • 70% of dementia patients
ZZP (care intensity package)
live at home and are
is a new system currently being
being taken care of by
introduced within the profes-
informal caregivers
sional/formal healthcare. The
• 80% of informal caregivers
ZZP is supposed to make care
is overstrained and feels
more personal and effective.
isolated
Only people who really need it
• Admission into a nursing
are admitted to a certain care
home is mostly the result
package.
of the informal caregiver
being overstrained
PGB The ‘Personally bound budget’ is an important way for people suffering from dementia and their family to stay at home as long as possible and postpone admission to a nursing home. Even though home care is hard, patients and family do their best to manage. With the PGB they can buy the help they need. Future existence of the PGB is currently at debate in the Dutch politics.
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