ACCORDING to figures from the Alzheimer’s Society, there are some 37,000 people in Wales living with dementia. This number is expected to increase to almost 50,000 within 20 years, and here in Powys, the number of people living with dementia is predicted to increase by a massive 44% over that period.
Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function, and they are usually progressive. There are more than 100 different types of dementia, and Alzheimer's disease is the most common type, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed.
Other types of dementia include; vascular dementia affecting 17 per cent of those diagnosed and mixed dementia affecting 10 per cent of those diagnosed. Symptoms include memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding.
Following a debate on dementia services in 2008 in the National Assembly for Wales, the Health Minister Edwina Hart announced that a National Dementia Plan for Wales would be drawn up, following similar announcements in both England and Northern Ireland. 2010 will be a landmark year as we are expecting the launch of a National Dementia Plan for Wales very soon.
Because of this, it is now vital that we raise the profile of dementia in Wales, helping to bring the condition out of the shadows and to reduce stigma where possible. It’s also an opportunity to encourage people who may be experiencing memory problems to seek help from their GP.
What is crucially important is that increased funding for dementia care services is secured if the lives of the thousands of people affected by dementia are to be improved.
Issues surrounding dementia are going to become increasingly more and more important as we live longer and longer. Community Mental Health Teams and social work teams dealing with older people will see their work increase; there will be higher demand for care home places both in the public and the private sectors, and the costs of providing care at home will increase substantially.
Only just this week, my colleague and Assembly Member for Cardiff Central Jenny Randerson called on the Assembly Government to bring forward a debate into the funding for Alzheimer’s treatment. There is a ticking funding time bomb that the government need to address now to prevent the system being overwhelmed in future years.
It is imperative the First Minister investigates claims made by a senior civil servant that up to £1 billion of the Welsh Health Budget is not being spent correctly. That money will need to be refocused to make sure we all have the support and care we need.