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4.1.
Introduction
Aging is one of the major risk factors for some of the most prevalent diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders or neurodegenerative diseases, but while the number of cases of the first two tends to stabilize, the number of patients with neurodegenerative pathologies, particularly dementia, continues to grow exponentially. According to the demographic estimates of the National Institute of Statistics, in 2019 there are 8.9 million people in Spain aged 65 or over (19.4% of the population) and it is estimated that in 2050 about 15 million Spaniards (approximately one third of our population) will be over 65 years old. In fact, the combination of one of the highest life expectancies in the world and one of the lowest birth rates make the Spanish population the oldest in Europe and one of the oldest in the world after South Korea and Japan.
Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterized by a progressive cognitive im- pairment severe enough to affect personal and social functioning of an individ- ual. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in our environ- ment. According to the National Epidemiology Center, 7.3% of the population over 65 years could suffer from this disease nowadays. In total, AD constitutes about 75% of the etiology of dementias, either alone or in combination with cer- ebrovascular disease. Because of increased life expectancy and the progressive aging of the population in Western countries, dementia represents a huge chal- lenge for public health systems. In our country, it is estimated that approximate- ly one million Spaniards could have dementia by 2050.
According to the Survey of Disability, Personal Autonomy and Dependency Sit- uations developed by the National Institute of Statistics, the rate of disability stands at ninety dementia cases per thousand inhabitants. However, the impact of dementia is not only produced directly on the patient, but also has a great influence his/her family and social environment concerning affective, organiza-
4. The Vallecas Project
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