Fresh figures reveal urgent demand for dementia care across Scotland

Data from the leading care home reviews site shows that Scotland has seen the highest proportion of care seekers requiring dementia care out of all countries in the UK, with half (50%) of Scots making an enquiry on the website looking for a dementia care home.

Scotland is closely followed by Northern Ireland, where 47% of care seekers were searching for specialised dementia care, and then by England and Wales where 43% and 42% of people were looking for this type of care, respectively.

At a national level across the UK, carehome.co.uk data also shows the desperation many with dementia face when looking for care, with nearly half (46%) of people looking for immediate care searching for dementia care specifically.

carehome.co.uk receives over 15 million annual visitors and has helped over a million families find care. An analysis of 39,980 care seekers sending email enquiries from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024 shows nearly a fifth (19%) were looking for urgent, immediate care with a timeframe of within the next 24 hours up to a week. Nearly half of these (46%) people needed dementia residential and nursing care.

In response to the findings, carehome.co.uk is urging Scots to plan ahead to ensure they don’t run round in a panic making a rushed decision when looking for care.

While half of Scots were looking for dementia care, figures from Alzheimer’s Society show that over 70% of care home residents live with dementia, suggesting that many people have not been diagnosed with the condition before entering a care home.

Paulina Frisby, team leader at carehome.co.uk’s care helpline, has found this to be the case when speaking to care seekers.

She said: “We have people ringing up about their parents saying that they think they have dementia, but are too scared to visit the GP and get a formal diagnosis, or they simply can’t get an appointment.

“Unfortunately, there is still a pervasive misunderstanding of dementia and many people who are given a diagnosis are then left with no support. Our own data shows that half of people in Scotland are looking for dementia care specifically, and we encourage them to plan ahead as soon as possible for the type of care they would like themselves or their loved ones to receive.

“Working on the care helpline, it can be very upsetting for us to hear about people who are in desperate need of urgent dementia care, and we often connect with them and end up very emotional when they are talking to us.”

Sue Learner, editor at carehome.co.uk, said: “Our finding that almost half of people who need care within a week or less are searching for dementia care is concerning, and shows the need to improve diagnosis rates across the country in order to give people vital access to treatment and support and help them make arrangements for their future care.

“Deciding when someone with dementia needs to move to a care home can be challenging and emotional, but if you do your research ahead of this and have a plan in place it can alleviate some of this stress.

“Our care helpline staff receive distressing calls on a daily basis from partners and families struggling to cope with this cruel and debilitating disease.

“The number of people with dementia in the UK is predicted to rise to over a million by 2030. It is therefore crucial that the government takes action to improve diagnosis rates across the UK and prioritises funding so that people affected by this terrible condition get the help and support they desperately need.”