Charity: Dementia desperately under-funded in UK

Healthcare News
28/08/2008
Charity makes call for increased spending amid growing awareness of the condition.

The Alzheimer's Society has said that dementia is "desperately under-recognised and under-funded" in the UK.

It said that the recent statement from Carol Thatcher that her mother and former prime minister Margaret suffers from dementia has brought the condition into the public awareness.

The charity stressed that dementia is not a natural part of ageing but rather is caused by diseases of the brain and subsequently "robs people of their lives".

According to the Alzheimer's Society, one in three people aged over 65 will die from a form of dementia.

It stated that 700,000 people in the UK currently live with the condition, but the figure is expected to rise to over a million in less than 20 years.

The charity hopes that such openness in speaking about the condition should go some way to reducing stigma and improving levels of care and support.

Accounting giant KPMG recently included the Alzheimer's Society on the shortlist for its next charity of the year, with votes being cast until September 5th.

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