Research programmes have tended to focus on finding a disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s, but how can we channel more funding into research to improve care and quality of life?
Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said her charity was committed to finding more treatments but that it was important to avoid “unintended consequences” by overlooking other areas of research. “The bigger prize is how can we make sure there is more investment in research generally,” said Mitchell, a panellist in the plenary Q&A at UK Dementia Congress
“We can develop all the disease-modifying drugs in the world but we can’t even diagnose people at the moment,” fellow panellist Tim Baverstock told delegates. “I don’t think we’ve got the balance right,” said Baverstock, Alzheimer’s Society’s head of local systems influencing, “Drugs should not be the be-all and end-all and we should consider how we can provide the right care and support to live a good life for as long as possible.”