Dementia treatment drugs approved in Scotland

People in the Lothians, Scotland, with Alzheimer's disease have welcomed the news that Healthcare Improvement Scotland has approved the use of all medication for the condition.

Improving diagnosis rates and an ageing population means the Lothians is facing an estimated 40 per cent increase in the number of people who may require assisted living, the Scotsman reports.

Dr Gillian McLean, an old age psychiatry consultant, said the decision to approve all drugs for Scotland's 82,000 dementia patients is of "huge importance" in how dementia and Alzheimer's disease is managed in the country.

"We now have effective treatments available for all stages of the disease and we need to ensure that patients who are eligible have access to treatment," she told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Basingstoke Gazette reports that health bosses in Hampshire are making preparations for increases in the number of older people with dementia, with a 15 per cent rise expected in the next 15 years.

Find out more about Alzheimer's disease care at Barchester homes.