What is the Life Expectancy of Over 80’s with Dementia?

When you or a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, it’s natural to wonder what the future may bring. Dementia is the seventh leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organisation, with Alzheimer’s being the most common form of the disease.

However, several other forms of dementia exist, each of which can affect life expectancy. People over the age of 80 tend to have shorter life expectancies after their diagnosis due to several factors, such as other medical conditions and frailty.

Today, we’ll explore the different types of dementia and how they affect life expectancy, as well as how Trinity Homecare can help.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a disease that impairs cognitive function, including how we think, remember things and reason. As it’s progressive, symptoms will continue to get worse with time and eventually begin interfering with daily life, activities and relationships.

Age is the most common risk factor for dementia due to how the brain changes as we get older. Around 3% of people aged 70 to 74 are diagnosed with dementia, and this number rises to 22% between the ages of 85 and 89. 33% of people over the age of 90 will get their diagnosis.

There are several stages of dementia: early, middle and late. Late-stage dementia is when someone is most likely to need full-time care and support with daily living activities. No matter what type of dementia they’re experiencing, their life expectancy will be lower.

Symptoms of late-stage dementia

Your doctor will inform you of what stage of dementia you or your loved one has. The main symptoms of later-stage dementia include:

• Memory problems, such as thinking they’re at an earlier point in their life (time shifting) or having difficulty remembering familiar places and faces
• Forgetting words and phrases until their vocabulary is reduced to only a few words
• Changes in mood, perceptions and emotions, such as depression and apathy
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Changes in behaviour, such as heightened aggression, restlessness and feeling threatened or scared
• Physical changes, like moving slowly, an increased fall risk, inability to feed themselves or difficulty swallowing, loss of weight and incontinence

How long will a person with dementia live?

Dementia is considered a life-limiting condition, as no matter what type of disease a person is dealing with, their life expectancy will be lower. While how long they live after diagnosis will depend on a number of factors, the average figures for the most common types of dementia can be considered as a baseline:

• Alzheimer’s disease: Around 8 to 10 years, although this can be less for people diagnosed in their 80s and 90s.
• Lewy body dementia: Around 6 years. The life expectancy is slightly less than Alzheimer’s patients because LBD’s physical symptoms make it more likely that a person will fall or get an infection.
• Vascular dementia: Around 5 years. This is lower than the average for Alzheimer’s because someone with vascular dementia is more likely to die from a stroke or heart attack, rather than the dementia itself.
• Frontotemporal disease: Around 6 to 8 years. If a person diagnosed with FTD also has motor neurone disease, their dementia may progress quickly and reduce their life expectancy to 2 to 3 years after diagnosis.

It’s important to note that these figures are only averages, and life expectancy tends to decrease the older the patient. This is because people aged over 80 are at risk of age-related complications.

How does dementia reduce life expectancy

There are two ways dementia reduces life expectancy:

1. Close links with other diseases: Certain types of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia) are linked with other diseases that can lower life expectancy. For example, vascular dementia is closely linked to heart disease and stroke.
2. Weakened immune system: By the later stages of dementia, a person’s immune response will be much weaker than it was before their diagnosis. This makes them more vulnerable to other medical problems, such as pneumonia or blood clots, which can be fatal.

These two reasons are why late-stage dementia is often the shortest. However, a person with dementia can die during any stage from another condition unrelated to dementia. People over 80 are more at risk of this, as frailty plays a big part in how the body responds to disease.

Factors that may influence someone with dementia’s life expectancy

A person’s life expectancy might be impacted by the progression of their dementia. Taking care of your mental and physical health is essential during early-stage dementia to hopefully slow its progression. This means prioritising a good diet, social life, sleep schedule and mindfulness.

How long your loved one will live with dementia depends on several factors, including:

• The type of dementia: Different types of dementia progress at different rates. For example, Alzheimer’s progresses more slowly than other types.
• Age: Dementia generally progresses more slowly in people over the age of 65. However, older people are more likely to have other health conditions that may lower life expectancy. A person diagnosed in their 90s is more likely to die from other health problems than someone diagnosed in their 70s.
• Long-term health concerns: Conditions like heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure may speed up the progression of dementia, especially if they’re not well-managed.
• Delirium: Dementia can induce delirium, which is a health condition that can lead to a sudden deterioration in a person’s cognitive function, affecting their ability to carry out basic tasks or think coherently.
• Polypharmacy: Taking more than five prescribed medications at a time can increase the risk of falling, adverse reactions and drug-drug interactions, all of which can lead to worsened health outcomes. Those with dementia are more likely to take multiple prescription medications to manage their linked illnesses.
• Living conditions: Living alone brings several challenges, such as an increased risk of falling without anyone there to help, loneliness and isolation. These things can lead to poor mental and physical health, risking further dementia progression.
• Frailty: Between 25 and 50% of people over 85 are living with frailty, which is where the body struggles to overcome otherwise minor illnesses and infections. People with dementia may have a weakened immune system, only lead to more frailty complications.

Can dementia be reversed?

No, there is currently no cure for dementia, and its symptoms can’t be reversed. This is a progressive disease, and even treatments offer modest results. This is true for primary and secondary dementia types, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, LBD and frontotemporal dementia.

However, if dementia has been caused by treatable ailments, it may be successfully reversed. Dementia-like symptoms can be caused by:

• Medication side effects
• Irremovable tumours
• Normal pressure hydrocephalus
• Metabolic disorders, such as vitamin B12 deficiency
• Hypothyroidism
• Low blood sugar
• Depression

Irreversible dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, may still respond partially to medications to treat certain symptoms. If you and your healthcare team can get a handle on your memory loss and behavioural challenges, the progression of the disease might slow down.

Learn more about the treatments for dementia in our useful guide.

Improving the quality of life of someone with dementia

People with dementia over the age of 80 might feel confused and lost without a great support system. To improve their quality of life and prevent progression of the disease as much as possible, consider:

• Stick to their regular routine
• Put a weekly timetable in an obvious place and schedule activities for when they feel best (e.g. in the mornings)
• Place their keys and important belongings in set places, and label them clearly
• Keep a list of helpful phone numbers and instructions by the phone
• Use a pill organiser to help them remember which medicines to take when
• Make sure their home is dementia-friendly and safe
• Keep lines of communication open and encourage other loved ones to visit and call whenever they can to avoid loneliness
• Encourage a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, staying active and sleeping well
• Consider extra support from a visiting or live-in carer

How Trinity Homecare can help

At Trinity Homecare, we’re committed to offering exceptional care and support to all of our clients. We’ll match you with one of our expert, compassionate carers who has been fully trained in dementia care for round-the-clock support. They’ll aim to manage symptoms, slow down the progression of the disease and keep you as comfortable as possible.

The care we provide includes:

• One-to-one support at home
• Completely bespoke live-in care that has been tailored to you
• Specialist care for a number of different circumstances
• Home carers carefully matched to your needs
• CQC rated ‘Outstanding’ live-in care services

People over the age of 80 with dementia will likely need more assistance with daily activities, including personal care, cooking, and cleaning. Our carers can handle it all, along with medication management and emotional support for you and your loved ones.

Talk to us today

If your loved one requires home care, chat with one of our friendly care team today. We offer a free, no-obligation enquiry and assessment service and are happy to offer information and advice to help you find the perfect home care solution.

Call us on 020 4572 5583 in confidence for a free no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.