Dementia and the prison population: identifying need.

Abstract

Older adults are the fastest growing group within the UK prison population yet there continues to be a lack of national strategy to ensure consistent care is provided to this group, in line with the general population. The number of older adults with dementia is also rising globally however the prevalence of dementia in prisons remains largely unknown. The impact of dementia on older adults in prison is also largely unexplored. Subsequently a review by Brooke et al. 2020 was undertaken to identify prevalence of dementia in the UK prison population and to explore how such prisoners are assessed, diagnosed, treated and supported. This article critically appraises and evaluates the systematic review by Brooke et al. 2020, and expands upon the findings in context to practice.