Dementia care
Wednesday, 25 Jun 2008 11:01
The number of people with dementia is set to increase
"In the shadows", "dogged by stigma" and "underfunded" are just some of the phrases associated with dementia.
Despite the condition being one of the most prevalent health problems in the UK - about 700,000 are affected by a form of the disease - awareness about it is said to be low.
Campaigners also claim that funding into dementia research is seriously low compared to diseases such as cancer.
Dementia care currently costs the economy more than £17 billion and is estimated to hit £35 billion within 20 years.
But less than three per cent of the Department of Health's research budget is spent on dementia research, compared to 25 per cent for cancer research.
In May a report published by the King's Fund thinktank warned that there could be a huge increase in dementia in the next 20 years by almost two-thirds due to an ageing population.
Action has been demanded from the government, and it has responded with a consultation into the first-ever dementia strategy.
This has raised the hopes of campaigners and is expected to be published this autumn.
inthenews.co.uk brings you all the key responses and comments on the consultation.