Nordic dementia network
Older adults
There are probably more than half a million people suffering from dementia in the Nordic countries. There is reason to believe that many people have not had their dementia diagnosed. The number of people with dementia in the Nordic region is expected to increase sharply, now that the large number of people born in the 1940s are reaching old age, and it is estimated that the incidence of dementia will have doubled by 2050.
As life expectancy increases and people live longer, more people are also likely to develop dementia. This means that a greater focus and more resources need to be targeted at people with dementia. Better support, health and social care, and health-enhancing and preventive measures all aim to provide a good life and a high level of well-being for people with dementia and their relatives.
The Nordic Dementia Network has been active since 2015, and is a network of national agencies and expert bodies, as well as competence and research centres that work with dementia at a national strategic level in the Nordic countries, as well as Åland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The network has recently been given a renewed Nordic mandate and will continue its undertaking to improve dementia care under the Nordic Council of Ministers until 31 December 2026.
The starting points for the collaboration are the national dementia strategies and guidelines on health and social care in connection with dementia in the Nordic countries and Åland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, as well as dementia-related EU and WHO collaborations in which the Nordic countries participate.
The Nordic Dementia Network consists of a main network with representatives from national agencies and expert institutions in the field, as well as three knowledge-generating subnetworks with researchers and other experts from the Nordic countries.
The benefits for the Nordic countries are created through the sharing of experience of and knowledge about national strategies, guidelines and measures to enhance quality, safety and innovation in investigation, treatment, health and social care and other services. Together, the network contributes to increased knowledge development and skills enhancement in different areas relating to dementia, where the countries have made varying levels of progress or have limited conditions individually.
The Nordic Dementia Network is coordinated by the Nordic Welfare Centre on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Prevalence of dementia
There are no common Nordic statistics on how many people have been diagnosed with dementia in the Nordic countries. The countries present the prevalence of dementia in their respective countries separately and in different ways. This can involve relatively up-to-date data from population studies and/or estimates and forecasts based on previous data.
Reports
Welfare policy
8 Apr 2020
Demensomsorg för invandrare
I de nordiska länderna har troligen fler än en halv miljon människor en demenssjukdom eller lindriga kognitiva störningar. Ant [...]
Welfare policy
22 Nov 2019
Indigenous peoples and dementia in the Nordic region
In the field of dementia, the Nordic countries’ collaborations are coordinated by the Nordic Welfare Centre. Said collaborations [...]