Dementia is an illness which is estimated to affect 1 million people by 2025. It is an illness in which I am strongly passionate to make a change for the better in. As I saw the struggles my father went through with this terrible illness, I would not wish the effects on anyone else or their families due to the pain it brings. Therefore, I am doing what I can to make an effective change!
I am proud to stand on a manifesto that identified finding a cure for dementia as one of the Government's biggest priorities, which has been reflected in the development of the new 10-Year Plan for Dementia. It was positive to see my colleague Sajid Javid re-committing to publishing the 10-Year Plan later this year at this year’s Alzheimer’s Society Conference.
The 10-Year Plan will focus on how new technology can be used to improve outcomes for dementia patients across the country. This will include exploring ways of building on the Government’s £375 million investment over the next five years, to improve understanding and treatment for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including different types of dementia. The 2021 Spending Review also saw £5 billion committed to health-related research and development and I understand that work is ongoing to identify ways to boost research on dementia significantly.
My recent visit to Admiral Court Care Home for Dementia Awareness Week 2022 highlighted to me the issues currently being faced, but also the great work being done by the team at the care home. The plans put in place by the government and Department for Health would help tackle these problems effectively, improving the lives of the patients and the running of the respective care homes.
If you wish to see the highlights of my visit to the Admiral Court Care Home, and see the improvements being made, please click the link below.
https://twitter.com/Anna_Firth/status/1528800431597568002
Anna