At an event hosted by the Alzheimer’s Society in Parliament, Rugby MP Mark Pawsey spoke to representatives of the society, clinicians and those who support people with dementia about the challenges that this disease poses.
There is currently no cure for dementia, and very few effective treatments. Funding for dementia research has lagged behind that of other major health conditions such as cancer or heart disease. More recently progress has been made with a £250 million investment, including £50 million from Alzheimer’s Society, committed into the establishment of the world’s first dementia research institute.
Having dementia can have a devastating impact on the day-to-day lives of people with dementia and their families, and could happen to anyone, in any community. That is why the Alzheimer’s Society is pressing for more action to tackle dementia.
Speaking after the event, Mark commented:
“According to Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group, there are estimated to be 4,880 people living with dementia in our area. Nationally, Alzheimer’s Society estimates that by 2021 there will be over 1 million a national basis, It is clear that meeting the challenges this poses for our community and for our health and social care system is one of the biggest issues facing the country over the next few years.”
Mark continued:
“Recently I have visited a number of care homes here in Rugby to find out more about how they are supporting those with dementia, including Rugby Care Centre which has recently been recognised for its outstanding care. I also spoke to Alzheimer’s Society about some of the work they do in Rugby, including the Dementia Café that they run in the Rugby Health & Wellbeing Centre.”
Mark concluded:
“Dementia and social care is an important issue which the Alzheimer’s Society is raising awareness of. We cannot talk about social care without talking about dementia: currently 65% of social care places are used by people with dementia. The majority of care a person with dementia receives is social care and it is vital that in the government’s forthcoming consultation we create a system that works for people affected by dementia.”