EU-Atlas: Dementia and Migration

General introduction

For people with a migration background who are affected by dementia, access to medical information, medical care and care services can prove difficult due to language barriers and cultural differences with the local population: culturally sensitive medical and nursing care as well as multilingual information materials are not yet standard - neither in Germany nor in many other parts of Europe. However, the way the topic of "dementia and migration" is dealt with varies greatly from country to country. Scientists at the DZNE have examined the situation in 35 European countries as part of a research project funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation. The result is the EU-Atlas: Dementia & Migration, which breaks down the situation with extensive data and maps - and presents country-specific experiences, challenges and good practice examples.

There are currently 86.7 million people with a migration background (MmM) living in Europe. Of these, 16.2% are 65 years or older (around 14 million)1 and are in an age group that has an increased risk of developing dementia. Scientific studies suggest that people with dementia have an increased risk of dementia2,3. A 2019 analysis estimates the number of people with dementia in the member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) at around 475,0004. Our survey for the EU Atlas is slightly higher, resulting in an estimate of around 531,400 people with dementia.

The health consequences of dementia are often worse for people with dementia than for people from the population without a migration background. One of the reasons for this is that the health system is often not equipped to care for this population group and does not have care services that are suitable for their needs. At the same time, there is often a lack of knowledge on the part of people with dementia about dementia and the health system and its care services5. These and other problems, as well as the expected increase in the number of people with dementia in the coming years, pose a challenge of unknown proportions for health systems in Europe.

Cooperation partners

In order to meet this challenge and provide the people affected with the best possible support and information, health systems, medical professionals, politicians and stakeholders need more information about this vulnerable population group. Insights must be gained into how many people with dementia there are, how they are currently integrated into health systems and where there are opportunities for improvement. Such insights can not only guide people and organizations who work with people on a daily basis, but can also - and this is just as important - be important in the strategic development of health systems and their care services at the political level in laws, guidelines, strategies and action plans. The "EU Atlas: Dementia and Migration" is intended to contribute primarily to the latter.

Information on the number of PwM with dementia in Europe already exists. However, it is sparse and data for all EU and EFTA countries and the UK by country of birth are lacking. Strategies, plans and guidelines raising awareness of dementia and discussing how to improve treatment and care for people with dementia and their families are increasingly emerging in different countries. As far as the authors of the Atlas are aware, no publications have yet been produced that provide a European overview of the prevalence of dementia and national documents on dementia care with a focus on PwM.

The EU Atlas on Dementia and Migration fills this research gap by providing:

Prevalence data and graphical representation for the 27 EU and 4 EFTA Member States and the UK;

Analyses of national dementia plans and guidelines on diagnosis, treatment and care; and

Analyses of health systems in terms of the care and support they provide to people affected. This Atlas focuses on dementia in PwM. It is an addition to the extensive literature on dementia and a resource due to its sharp focus on the care situation of PwM with dementia.