Alzheimer's Society responds to ONS report on 2019 dementia and Alzheimer's disease deaths

Gavin Terry, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

'This is an unusual result that we weren’t expecting to see, while of course it’s good news that fewer people died from dementia last year.

But it doesn’t reflect the overall pattern we’ve seen up until now – with deaths from dementia rising year-on-year, in line with estimated prevalence numbers, due to our increasing ageing population combined with improved awareness of dementia across society, and better diagnosis of the condition.

'This data also doesn’t include deaths where dementia was a contributing factor so we’re keen to explore the statistics further to better understand what lies behind them. While this may be a short-term blip, there is evidence in any case to suggest that people with dementia are living longer, supporting our calls for dementia care to be prioritised across society.'