Dubliners call for Alzheimer action

SOUTHSIDE
activists recently gathered at the Dail to call on the Government to protect
funding for essential Alzheimer and dementia services in the forthcoming
budget.

The Alzheimer
Society of Ireland has warned that immediate action is required to address the
hidden health crisis of dementia as Ireland has an ageing population.

In the next 15
years alone, it is estimated that the number of people living with dementia
will increase from 44,000 to 70,115 in 2026.

The charity
made its call at the launch of its Pre-Budget Submission 2012 where it revealed
how waiting lists for dementia services have shot up by 20 per cent in the last
year.

The Alzheimer
Society of Ireland’s CEO, Maurice O’ Connell, launched their Pre Budget
Submission 2012.

?We welcome the
strides that have been made through the Government’s commitment to improving
the lives of people living with dementia and support everyone’s efforts to
focus on this critical health policy issue,

? he said.

“We recognise the fiscal
difficulties that the Government is facing and we wish to take a flexible
response to working with policy makers regarding funding structures, service
delivery and to ensuring the strategy is delivered successfully.

?

The Alzheimer
Society of Ireland has now launched a campaign to encourage elected officials
to drive the Programme for Government commitment from within the Houses of the
Oireachtas through the roll out of an

‘Alzheimer Pledge’.

By signing up to
the Alzheimer Pledge, the society hopes to mobilise further support for the
National Dementia Strategy through the development of a Friends of Dementia
cross party group which already includes over 33 TDs.

Mr O’Connell
added that a Dementia Strategy is urgently needed in Ireland, similar to that
implemented in countries such as France, Norway and the UK, to ensure a clear
pathway of care for the thousands of families affected by the illness