The estimated number of people with dementia living in Finland is 120 000. Approximately 12 000 Finns will develop Alzheimer's or a related disease yearly. Presently there are approximately 7 000 Finns with memory disturbances under the age of 65.

Alzheimer Society of Finland makes a national Memory Barometer every five years. The Memory Barometer is an inquiry into the conceptions of people in leading positions in the social and basic health care sectors of the municipalities of Finland.

The main questions of the Barometer Survey 2010 concerned the availability and standard of services directed to people with dementia disorders and their family caregivers, the professional skills of the personnel of the social and health care sectors and the strategies and measures directing the care services in the municipalities of Finland.

Some of the main results include: The art of strategy planning is improving in the memory work of the municipalities. The diagnosing process and the first information have improved during the past five years: 64 % of the municipalities have started a memory clinic and 84 % employed a memory nurse. On the other hand representatives from several municipalities reported a total lack of services like making out individual rehabilitation plans for persons with dementia and organizing adaptation courses and group-based first information. Access to the nursing home services for persons with dementia is poor in 48 % of the municipalities that answered the Barometer Survey. Also access to the support granted for the family carers has diminished during the past five years.

For further reading:

The Memory Barometer 2010

89 kb, ** päivitetty ** Nov 24th 2010