In some countries, such as Germany and Italy, people over 65 will make up nearly one-quarter of the population within 20 years. The number of European elderly with dementia is expected to double by the mid-21st century. Impact on Women Dementia is particularly difficult for women, mainly because they comprise a larger proportion of the ageing population. There are three women for every two men between the ages of 65 and 79, and thisratio increases with each decade. More than twice as many women are over 80.
Older women are more likely to suffer from the dementia than men.
Women are also most often designated as carers, both paid and unpaid, and are therefore more subject to the psycho-social stresses of caregiving. The disorder has a great financial impact on women. Alzheimer's disease is marked by the gradual loss of most functional skills and the inability to read, reason and communicate. The immune system deteriorates and the eventual outcome is death. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease, but symptomatic treatments are being developed.