Current and predicted prevalence
It is estimated that there are 18,150 older adults in Cambridgeshire with a mental health condition. From 2025 to 2024, there is expected to be a substantial increase in the proportion of older adults with health conditions in Cambridgeshire, in particular a 41% increase in the number of older adults with dementia.
Table 3: Estimated prevalence of conditions amongst older adults in Cambridgeshire, 2025 – 2040
It is estimated that there are 4,400 older adults in Peterborough with a mental health condition. From 2025 to 2024, there is expected to be a substantial increase in the proportion of older adults with dementia, depression and long-term illnesses in Peterborough.
Table 4: Estimated prevalence of conditions amongst older adults in Peterborough, 2025 – 2040
Full estimates are included in the slides below:
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis
Studies suggest that adults aged 50+ experienced greater rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness and poor quality of life during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (Webb & Chen, 2022; Zaninotto et al., 2022). This age group reported facing a range of issues relating to shielding, physical health and bereavement (Mental Health Foundation & Independent Age, 2022). On top of this, some older adults may have been unable to access mental health services when they were delivered remotely (Davidson, 2021).
Although younger adults are more likely to face financial hardship, many older adults have been substantially impacted by the cost of living crisis (Schmuecker & Earwaker, 2022). Research carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the summer of 2022 found that almost of third of low-income households led by older adults reported going without essentials such as having a warm home, enough food or appropriate clothing (Schmuecker & Earwaker, 2022). Feedback from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Older People’s Partnership Board has highlighted local people’s concerns about the impact of the crisis on older people and/or disabled people (Lewis, 2022).
Depression
Projecting Older People Population Information System (POPPI) predicts that in 2040, the number of older adults predicted to have depression will increase by 26% in Cambridgeshire and 33% in Peterborough compared to 2025.
Figure 24: Older adults predicted to have depression, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2020 – 2040. Image source: Projecting Older People Population Information System (poppi.org.uk)
Long-term illness
POPPI predicts that by 2040, the number of people aged 65+ whose daily activities are limited a lot will have increased by 30% in Cambridgeshire and 38% in Peterborough, compared to 2025. The projection shows a sharp increase in the 85+ population in Cambridgeshire, whose daily activities are limited by long-term physical and/or mental health conditions.
Figure 25: Older adults predicted to have their daily activities will be limited ‘a lot’ by a long-term illness, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2020 – 2024. Image source; Projecting Older People Population Information System (poppi.org.uk)
Drug and alcohol use
There is often a close relationship between harmful levels of drug and alcohol use, and mental health need, with one study finding that 85% of people in alcohol services and 75% in drug services had experienced a mental illness in the last year (Weaver et al., 2003). At the start of 2022/23, there were 370 adults aged 50+ in drug or alcohol treatment in Peterborough, and 710 in Cambridgeshire. In 2022/23, the number of people in contact with the service increased by 122% in Cambridgeshire and 118% in Peterborough compared to 2013/14 (NDTMS, 2024).
Figure 26: Number of adults aged 50+ in treatment for drug or alcohol use, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 2009/10 – 2022/23. Data source: NDTMS
From April 2022 to March 2023, over three quarters (78%) of referrals to drug and alcohol services in Cambridgeshire were from ‘self, family or friends’ and 10% were from health services or social care. In Peterborough, 50% of referrals over this time period were from ‘self, family and friends’ and 34% were from health services and social care (NDTMS, 2024).
From April 2022 to March 2023, 12% of adults aged 50+ in drug and alcohol services were identified as having an unmet mental health need in Cambridgeshire, and 10% in Peterborough (this is defined as either a common mental health condition, serious mental illness or a mental health crisis). This was lower than the national average of 15% (NDTMS, 2024).
Alcohol-related hospital admissions
In 2021/22, there were 718 alcohol-related hospital admissions in older adults in Cambridgeshire, and 739 in Peterborough. The rate of hospital admissions for older adults where the main reason for admission was an alcohol-related condition in Cambridge was significantly higher than the national rate, whilst rates in Fenland and Peterborough were statistically similar to England.
Table 7: Admission episodes for alcohol-related conditions (Narrow) – 65+ years, 2021/22, directly standardised rate per 100,000. Data source: Alcohol Profile – OHID (phe.org.uk)
References
Full list of references is included at the end of this chapter.