Alzheimer’s Society has called for action after a parliamentary question showing that government spending on dementia research has fallen. MP Chi Onwurah asked the government why total research spending on dementia had dropped from £112.9 million in 2018/19 to £104.7 million in 2019/20. The news came despite the government’s “dementia moonshot” pledge to double spending…
Numbers of people with dementia worldwide are forecast to rise nearly threefold by 2050, a new analysis suggests. According to research published in Lancet Public Health, numbers will increase from an estimated 57.4 million in 2019 to 152.8 million in 2050. The current pattern of more women than men with dementia looks set to continue…
Local memory clinics are “chronically understaffed and overworked,” Alzheimer’s Society has said, as a backlog of people waiting for assessments builds up and diagnosis rates take a hit from the pandemic. “On a local level, we’ve heard that one memory clinic, which usually performs around 20 (memory) assessments per week, now has a nine-month waiting…
A project that aims to change perceptions of dementia has launched online, offering knowledge and expertise aimed at carers, professionals and families affected by the condition. Developed by the mental health and social change charity Platform, the website features interactive videos for organisations to use in supporting group sessions and online training opportunities, as well…
Wendy Mitchell’s latest book “What I wish people knew about dementia,” due for publication on 20 January, combines her customary wit and wisdom for a more positive outlook on dementia that the one usually presented in the media. The sequel to Wendy’s best-selling memoir “Somebody I Used to Know,” the new book is described by…
Local authority social care services are “in the midst of a national crisis,” social services directors said in mid-January, resulting in “drastic measures” to curtail services for people in need. In a survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) 49 out of the 94 councils responding said that they were taking…
Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice is a new international group sharing a positive vision of care and support for everyone affected by dementia. Find details here. The group is running a Zoom discussion – The Pain & Possibility of Dementia: Making Space for Emotional Growth – on Saturday February 5th at 5pm-6 30pm GMT. Here is the…
My Life, My Goals is a self-help practical guide for helping people in the early stages of dementia achieve their goals. The step-by-step digital guide, available for download onto a computer, tablet or phone – or to print at home – is published by the University of Exeter, Alzheimer’s Society and Innovations in Dementia. “Having…
Scientific backing has been provided for FallSkip, a digital tool that allows clinicians to evaluate an older person’s risk of falling. According to FallSkip, 30% of people over 65 and 50% of those over 80 fall at least once a year, falls which in more than 70% of cases have clinical consequences. The device, made…
A digital care programme rolled out across the county by Kent Council has won national recognition in the HTN HealthTech Awards. The project, called Kara, involved successfully equipping 1,700 vulnerable, digitally disadvantaged adults with video “carephones” to overcome social isolation during Covid. Comprising a one-touch secure tablet device, it provided video-calling to the individual’s support…