TWO thirds of people in Oxfordshire with dementia are going undiagnosed, it was claimed last night.

Experts from the Alzheimer’s Society released a map of the UK revealing a ‘postcode lottery’ across the country for dementia suffers.

Researchers predicted that 7,427 people in Oxfordshire have the condition, based on the number of people who live in the county aged 60 and over.

But only 2,670, or 36 per cent, have been officially recognised with the illness and referred for care or treatment by a GP.

If the problem is not addressed, the society claims by 2021 more than 10,200 people in Oxfordshire will have dementia, but only 6,550 will be receiving treatment.

Dementia is a group of related symptoms associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities.

The most common types of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.

The condition affects a person’s memory, thinking, language, understanding and judgement.

Pamela Foynes, 67, of Weirs Lane, Oxford, believes people could be put off going to the doctor because of the stigma attached to dementia.

Her 80-year-old husband John died last year after a five-year battle with the condition.

She said: “With John it started out with silly things, like making a cup of tea but forgetting to boil the kettle, putting dirty plates in the cupboard, that sort of thing.

“I can understand why people might be reluctant to go to their doctor because of the stigma.

“The one thing he hated people thinking was that he was mad. He used to hate people talking down to him.”

Meg Barbour, from Wheatley, spent seven years looking after her husband Cedric as he deteriorated mentally from the effects of Alzheimer’s. Mrs Barbour, 67, urged people to get a diagnosis so they could start to get on with their lives.

She said: “I think it takes a lot of courage for people to go to their GP if they think they have a problem.

“But it is wrong, very wrong, not to get a diagnosis. Early diagnosis is the best way to go.”

The new Mapping the Dementia Gap study reveals the number of people with dementia in each part of the UK and the percentage who receive a diagnosis.

Dorset has the lowest rates of diagnosis, with only a quarter of people recognised as having dementia.

But two thirds of people living in Belfast with dementia have had a diagnosis.

A formal diagnosis is vital for people with dementia and without it they cannot access to drugs or advice on how to live more effectively with the condition.

Ken Dorling, Alzheimer’s Society’s service manager for Oxfordshire, said many people delayed seeking help because of low awareness of symptoms and treatments or the fear they would lose their independence. He said in areas such as Oxfordshire, which have lower diagnosis rates, people were either reluctant to get a diagnosis because they were concerned about the stigma, or they were faced with a poorer response from health and social care services.

He said: “Areas where diagnosis is high show us it is possible to help hundreds of thousands more people live well with a diagnosis of dementia.

“We want to increase diagnosis levels and one way of doing this is to encourage people who are worried about their memory to visit their GP.”

A spokesman for NHS Oxfordshire said: “We acknowledge that the level of diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is not high, but a huge amount of work has taken place in the past few months to address the issue.

“NHS Oxfordshire has worked with GPs, hospital consultants, voluntary organisations, carers and patients, to redesign the pathway across the county to improve access to diagnosis.”

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk