The Costs of Dementia - A comparison between Norway and Germany

Germany, Norway and most other European countries have observed a steady increase in life expectancy at birth over the last decades and this trend is supposed to continue in future years. As a consequence of this rising longevity an increase in the number of persons suffering from dementia disorders as well as an increase of persons in need of long-term care is expected. With the prevalence of dementia rising exponentially with age and given population aging as a whole, the number of persons with dementia disorders is projected to rise by around 150 percent in Norway and by around 170 percent in Germany until 2050 (compared to 2006). As the increasing number of patients suffering from dementia disorders will put some pressure on public budgets, the asse ssment of the costs of dementia is necessary to calculate the impact of dementia on public budgets as e.g. the public health or long-term care system. So far, research regarding the cost of dementia has predominantly been conducted using cross-section d atasets. Access to panel data is, however, preferable for the calculation of the costs of dementia - as this would enable the analysis of individual dementia related costs over time (and life-cycles). As there exist some new panel data sets for Germany an d Norway, the aim of our project is, to compare the evolution of dementia related costs over time and with regard to the duration of dementia affection. The comparison will also enable us, to have a look at different mortality patterns for people with dem entia disorders.