Abstract

Young-Onset Dementia (YOD) is typically characterised as onset before the age of 65 years and represents a heterogeneous group of cognitive disorders. The wide range of clinical presentations results in a significantly higher time to diagnosis compared to dementia in the elderly. When diagnosed, limited social and professional support can have devastating psychosocial consequences for the patient, family and caregivers; resulting in a lower quality of life (QoL).
YOD only recently has received more attention in research and policy. As different policy approaches for both YOD and Late-Onset Dementia (LOD) are needed, more research on YOD epidemiology, costs and psychosocial consequences is necessary. This report aims to give an overview of the available data on YOD epidemiology and costs in Flanders, Belgium. In addition, several Flemish initiatives focusing on YOD are discussed with recommendations for further policy improvement at multiple levels, including for application beyond Flanders.