There are currently 551 people diagnosed with dementia in the Isle of Man.
Of that number, 432 are receiving specific dementia medication, Health Minister Clare Christian has revealed.
During Tuesday’s House of Keys sitting, Ms Christian was a question from Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse who asked her how many patients have received a dementia diagnosis in each of the last three years, how many patients with dementia are now living in the island and how many are receiving medication.
Miss Christian said: ‘I can confirm that in 2023 the number of people who received a diagnosis of dementia was 314, in 2024 there were 264 people and in 2025 there were 243 people.
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‘At present, 551 individuals with a diagnosis of dementia are registered with the general practitioners in the island and, of these registered patients, 432 are receiving specific dementia medication.’
Mr Moorhouse then asked how about projections made of the number of people there will be living in the island with dementia in 2040 and 2050.
Ms Christian said: ‘Public health is currently carrying out a needs assessment on this subject, the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which will contain prevalence data and modelling for future prevalence of dementia.’
Dr Alex Allinson then asked the Minister if she agreed that the setup of the memory clinic in the Isle of Man with the assessment of people with memory problems has actually been very successful in trying to identify dementia, but the actual diagnosis often takes quite a long period of time.
She agreed saying: ‘Absolutely. The Memory Clinic is fundamental and unique to the Isle of Man. I can also confirm that the average time from referral to diagnosis is approximately eight weeks.’