Dementia affects more than 50m people globally, a number that is rising fast. The world is not ready to cope. Thread 👇(1/10) econ.trib.al/G1jWT84
Some 82m people will have dementia by 2030 and 152m by 2050. Set against the size of the world’s population, these numbers may seem manageable. That is illusory (2/10) econ.trib.al/fRCauqu
Humane care for people with dementia will require vast numbers of people and huge sums of money—the WHO estimates an annual global cost of $2trn by 2030 (3/10) econ.trib.al/fRCauqu
Some fear that the covid-19 crisis will squeeze the financial and scientific resources available for dementia research more tightly still. Even if a dementia drug is approved, the question is: who will pay for it? (4/10) econ.trib.al/7Huv6Qp
Financing dementia care is a question that continues to stump governments around the world. An estimated 87% of the costs arise in high-income ones, although around 60% of people with dementia live in low or middle-income countries (5/10) econ.trib.al/zSa5i5c
As the number of people with the condition rises, in most countries it will be hard to find enough carers (6/10) econ.trib.al/IeR7pWx
Those with dementia want to be cared for at home for as long as possible. Technology can help, but looking after dementia patients requires people. Undertaken with humanity and dignity, it is extremely labour-intensive (7/10) econ.trib.al/ruzo7Vq
For the best care, well-off Europeans with dementia in the family are looking abroad for higher standards of care at a much lower cost (8/10) econ.trib.al/XaYfJ87
But dealing with dementia raises agonising ethical dilemmas. By the time they reach a crisis point, dementia sufferers may have forgotten the medical decisions they made at earlier stages of their illness (9/10) econ.trib.al/6P9N0YS
What do you think is the best way to facilitate care for dementia patients in your country, and how do you think it should be funded? Let us know below (10/10)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Every year EIU, our sister company, produces a cost-of-living index that ranks 173 cities around the world based on the price of more than 200 products and services. Here are some of the highlights of the 2023 survey 👇econ.st/48E8vrd
Tied in first place were Singapore and Zurich. Singapore is no stranger to the top spot: it has ranked as the priciest place to live in nine of the past 11 years econ.st/48E8vrd
The Japanese concept of kakeibo describes the art of saving money. In Asia there are many good places to practise it. Nine of the world’s 20 cheapest cities are there. But Asia is also home to some of the most exorbitant metropolises, too econ.st/3tvVNvX
This week’s episode of “Checks and Balance”, our podcast on American politics, is a bit different. @arynbraun explores a decades-old murder, exposed by climate change. Follow her investigation below 🧵 economist.com/podcasts/2023/…
As the American West dries up, the shoreline of the country’s largest reservoir is retreating. Last May, the shallows revealed a barrel with a body inside. The victim had been shot, entombed in metal and then sunk to the bottom of Lake Mead econ.trib.al/GSigYzp
Police determined that the victim, later dubbed Hemenway Harbor Doe, had been killed in the late 1970s or early 80s. That was when the mob ran several casinos in Las Vegas, just 30 miles from Lake Mead economist.com/podcasts/2023/…
On the outbreak of war, many Russians fled to Turkey. Sania, who has opened a bookshop in Istanbul, is one of many trying to create another Russia beyond its borders econ.st/3ZGk1On
If the country succumbs to Russian chaos, perceptions of Western decline will deepen. But if it thrives, the lesson will reverberate around the world economist.com/briefing/2023/…
“Will we be lucky or not? I’m so tired that I don’t even have the strength to be afraid.” One anonymous Ukrainian soldier shares his diary of life and death with 1843 magazine econ.st/3kls7x0
It’s election day in America. Find out what to expect with our latest midterms coverage👇 econ.st/3FVZcYH
In late summer, Democrats seemed to have a good chance of keeping the Senate—and even, perhaps, the House. But in the lead up to election day, polls and The Economist’s own statistical forecast put the Republicans in a stronger position econ.st/3G0cWl8
The race for the Senate is a dead heat. In battleground states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada the contest is now neck-and-neck econ.st/3NRKpjO
Over the past decade owning a house has meant easy money. But today if your wealth is tied up in bricks and mortar it is time to get nervous ⬇️ econ.st/3MWBmO1
For years more established homeowners took comfort in the thought that, even if real-wage growth was terrible, at least the price of their house was rising. Those days are over econ.st/3VX8Rnq
House prices are now falling in nine rich economies. As inflation and recession stalk the world a deepening correction is likely economist.com/leaders/2022/1…