We exist to beat dementia

Women’s Crucial Role in the Dementia Landscape – Three Areas of Change

RACE AGAINST DEMENTIA

Hear what people affected by dementia have to say about Race Against Dementia
The stopwatch is ticking. The race is on

Sir Jackie Stewart OBE

Dementia is the leading cause of death in Women- and has been for thirteen years.

Sixty five percent of people living with dementia in the U.K are women. 1

Since 2011, dementia has been the leading cause of death among women in the U.K. Several studies have explored why this might be, but with no definitive answer. 2

It is unclear why there is a higher rate of dementia amongst women, while it’s commonly observed that women tend to outlive men, the connection between longevity and dementia isn’t straight forward, as age is not a direct cause of dementia.

We are racing towards preventions and cures for dementia. It is imperative to build our understanding of how specific risk factors uniquely affect women to provide valuable insights for reducing dementia incidence in the future.

“Race Against Dementia provides a platform to enable networking and collaboration amongst future leaders. This ensures that our research will make a lasting impact in the dementia landscape.” Dr Emily Lane-Hill

Dementia has been the leading cause of death for women since 2011

Women are more likely to become carers for loved ones living with dementia

  • For every three people caring for a loved one living with dementia, two are women. 3
  • Women contribute around 71% of the global hours of informal dementia care. Often giving up or reducing work hours to provide this care for their loved one. 4
  • People providing unpaid care are 2.5 times more likely to experience psychological distress and poor health than non-carers. 5

Caring for a loved one with dementia can take a huge emotional and psychological toll on their families. I hope that my research can ease these emotional costs by improving our understanding of dementia and find more effective treatments to stop it. Dr Amy Lloyd.

around two thirds of unpaid carers of people with dementia are women

What about women at the forefront of dementia research?

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is inclusion. Despite making up the majority (60%) of dementia researchers, women in academia are less likely than men to advance into senior positions.6

The absence of female scientists in dementia research means overlooking crucial perspectives and talent.

“The representation of women in senior roles within dementia research remains disproportionately low. I am extremely proud to stand among the exceptional women race against dementia fellows. The tailored race against dementia training programs have been instrumental in securing my ARUK senior fellowship. This prestigious fellowship enables me to establish my own independent laboratory, focusing on understanding the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. I aspire to become a role model for future generations of women, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds, encouraging them to pursue careers in dementia research and contribute to creating a future free from the heartbreak of dementia.” Dr Christy Hung

 “At Race Against Dementia, 67% of our fellows are women, 50% of female Fellows have been promoted to more senior research positions since joining Race Against Dementia.” Veronica Bamford- Deane, Race Against Dementia CEO

“The whole field started with the diagnosis of one woman.”

Race Against Dementia Pull Quote
Auguste Deter, the first person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease
Auguste Deter, the first person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease

Dr Claire Durrant said, “In Alzheimer’s disease, my research field, the whole field started with the diagnosis of one woman, Auguste Deter and throughout the years, fantastic female scientists have been driving progress to one day find a cure.

I hope a woman, or her team will drive this forward and including women in research is going to be so important to make these meaningful breakthroughs.”

The global team of researchers at Race Against Dementia have been hand-picked for their innovative and collaborative approaches to dementia research. They are determined to win the race against dementia – for everyone affected by dementia.

  1. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/leadingcausesofdeathuk/2001to2018 ↩︎
  2. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/leadingcausesofdeathuk/2001to2018
    ↩︎
  3. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Womens-unpaid-dementia-care-and-the-impact-on-employment.pdf ↩︎
  4. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Womens-unpaid-dementia-care-and-the-impact-on-employment.pdf
    ↩︎
  5. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Womens-unpaid-dementia-care-and-the-impact-on-employment.pdf ↩︎
  6. https://healthopenresearch.org/articles/4-18 ↩︎
There are lots of ways you can support us. In doing so, you can make a huge difference to research, join the race today.

Help us in the race against dementia

Raise money for much needed research and help us to beat dementia by joining the Race.

DEMENTIA RACE INSIGHTS

Explore questions to gain a deeper understanding of dementia, symptoms, the innovative research led by our dedicated fellows.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA?

Dementia impacts memory, thinking and behaviour and includes several types of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia.

OUR RESEARCH

The Race Against Dementia Fellowship Programme funds and supports the world’s most promising scientific talent. We back promising research projects that will accelerate progress towards a cure and treatment.

Memories

In this Memories series, our founder Sir Jackie Stewart OBE discusses memories of a remarkable life in motorsport, business and beyond.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Sign up for updates about the race and our researchers driving progress…