In recent years, public awareness of the burden of dementia and its increasing prevalence has been raised by several strategy documents, reports and initiatives. These include:

Dementia UK: The full report (2007)

The Alzheimer's Society commissioned a report from King's College London and the London School of Economics on the future and economic impact of dementia in the UK. The report aimed to assess its prevalence and make predictions to prepare health services.

Living well with dementia: A National Dementia Strategy (2009)

The aim of this strategy was to ensure that significant improvements were made to dementia services across three key areas €“ awareness, care, and earlier diagnosis and intervention. The strategy identified early diagnosis as a particular concern, with secondary care psychiatric services primarily focusing on severe cases, causing a lack of support for newly diagnosed, milder cases. The strategy advised that specialist services should be commissioned locally to improve care through initial support, referral pathways and ongoing attention. Seventeen key objectives were identified to improve the quality of services offered to dementia patients, while promoting greater understanding of the causes and implications of the condition.

Prime Minister's challenge on dementia: Delivering major improvements in dementia care and research by 2015 (2012)

This programme focused on creating dementia friendly communities, conducting better research and driving improvements in healthcare. The aim of the programme was to improve quality of care, while reducing future pressures on the NHS and social care. Central to this was improving diagnosis rates in order to make early diagnosis the rule rather than the exception and to implement robust, affordable local plans.

Alzheimer's Society: Dementia 2012: A national challenge

The Alzheimer's Society's annual report investigated the quality of life of dementia patients. The results revealed that one-third of patients struggled to get a diagnosis, while 68 per cent waited longer than a year between symptoms appearing and receiving a diagnosis, with eight per cent waiting five years or more. Other data revealed that only 43 per cent of dementia patients in the UK had been formally identified. In addition, 17 per cent said they were not living well, 55 per cent claimed to be living quite well and just 22 per cent said they were living very well.

Alzheimer's Society: Dementia 2013: The hidden voice of loneliness

The report showcased the progress that has been made towards improving quality of life among dementia patients and their carers. However, this remains extremely varied:

• 44 per cent of dementia patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had been diagnosed
• 17 per cent were not living well with dementia
• 33 per cent said they had lost friends following their diagnosis
• 39 per cent said they felt lonely, increasing to 62 per cent who lived alone
• Inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medication fell by 52 per cent from 2008 to 2011.

Why not complete the other modules in this series?

Part three: Managing dementia

Part four: Living with dementia