GPS must do more to stem "dreadful" instances of misdiagnosis of dementia, a leading Scots expert will tell a conference today.

Professor June Andrews, director of the Dementia Centre at Stirling University, will tell the Scottish Care Conference that early accurate diagnosis is essential and that care should thereafter be tailored to meet different needs of people with varying forms of dementia.

She said that in our ageing population, the number of sufferers in Scotland is expected to nearly double by 2013 from 65,000 to 130,000.

From the correct diagnosis stage, most patients have around 10 years to live, but some people are not being diagnosed until half way through this period.

"The dreadful thing that happens in some places is that somebody meets an old lady who is quite confused and it is assumed she has dementia but she might have something that is treatable, for example certain infections could cause confusion," she said.

Professor Andrews said the elderly care sector is of prime importance given the projected Scottish demographic and the fact dementia care cost the country as much as £1.7bn. "The government actually spends more money on dementia than it does on cancer, heart disease and stroke put together," she said.

"The conference comes at an interesting time because the SNP had in its manifesto a commitment to look at dementia as a national priority.

"Where we are now is that care is terribly expensive and not done terribly well.

"Although the population is ageing the number of people available to care for them is not going to change at the same rate so what we need to do is maximise the time that people can stay at home, not just because they would prefer it but because it seems to be the most practical solution. If people are properly cared for at home, it would probably be less expensive because they are less likely to have an adverse incident in familiar surroundings or some kind of an infection."

The professor continued: "There are different kinds of dementia which need different treatments and it is very important to identify which kind of dementia it is: if relatives know what to expect then they can cope better with it.

"But first of all you need to make the public be aware that somebody losing their capacity is not a natural part of ageing to stimulate them to going to their GP."

She said care workers should be taught how to look out for signs of dementia in people they see regularly.

Meanwhile, at a separate conference yesterday, Health Minister Shona Robison told delegates that more progress was needed on improving dementia services.

She said: "The Scottish Government has made dementia a national priority to ensure that more is done to build on current work, raise awareness and provide improved support for those with dementia and those who care for them.

"We are exploring how best to do this through our consultation on Better Health, Better Care." Read Cate Devine's blog on living with dementia