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Estimating Life Expectancy After a Dementia Diagnosis

Learn how long men and women tend to live after a dementia diagnosis and why the time of nursing home admission is a crucial detail for researchers.

ByJack Knudson
(Credit: chayanuphol/Shutterstock)

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A dementia diagnosis for a loved one is something that causes great anxiety in families, and those feelings are often compounded by decisions surrounding nursing home care. A new study addresses life expectancy after a dementia diagnosis and establishes estimates on when those who are diagnosed are usually admitted to a nursing home.

The study, recently published in the medical journal The BMJ, acts as a systematic review of previous studies on survival from dementia diagnosis and nursing home admission.

Dementia, a neurological condition that affects one’s memory and personality among other functions, is a major concern for aging populations. The impact of diseases related to dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, will only continue to escalate in the coming decade; More than 55 million people live with dementia globally, and this number is estimated to rise to 153 million by 2050 according to data from 2021.

The ...

  • Jack Knudson

    Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.

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