Interesting Facts

According to Alzheimers Research UK, the estimated cost of caring for people with dementia in 2014 will be £23.6 billion. (The number or people in the UK aged 60+ who will be living with dementia is projected to double over the next 25 years and to reach 2 million by 2050, which will cost an estimated £59.4 billion. We can only hope current research will advance enough to prevent this silent plague.)

According to research from the Australian School of Business, the age you decide to retire at has no impact on life expectancy. (Did you notice the "you decide to retire" bit? Seemingly if you are forced into retirement because of redundancy or ill health, it can have a detrimental effect on your life expectancy. There are still reasons to keep working though, research carried out at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherché Médicale (INSERM) in France has shown that people who work for longer are less likely to develop dementia. They concluded that a person who retires at 65 is 15 per cent less likely to develop the condition than someone who retires at 60. It is believed that this is because intellectual stimulation and mental engagement are protective against dementia. I wonder if going to Bingo would have the same effect?)

Experts have forecast that more than 1.7 million people in the UK will have dementia by 2051, costing billions of pounds each year. (Currently 700,000 - or one person in every 88 in the UK - has dementia, incurring a total yearly cost of £17bn.)