Government fail sufferers of dementia

Harlow is lucky in that it has an excellent Alzheimers Society, which provides essential service to local members - both carers and sufferers. I have learnt much in my dealings with HAS and have been pleased to complete two sponsored swims to help raise funds (the picture shows Gordon Young, HAS Chairman, and I last year, (just after 2hrs.19mins non-stop of swimming that I had just completed!)

From what I have understood about Alzheimers, I was disturbed to read reports that the influential All-Party House of Commons Public Account Committee, have just condemned the Government for not giving dementia, the same priority as other illnesses.

According to the Alzheimer's Research Trust:

"The Committee is right to describe dementia as ‘like cancer in the 1950s’; there is still insufficient commitment from government and society as a whole towards defeating dementia".

In an even stronger statement, the Chairman of the Committee, Edward Leigh MP stated:

"There is a wide gulf between what the Department of Health keeps saying it is going to do about dementia services and what it actually does. This committee feels badly let down by the department's failure to act on the commitments it gave to us in 2007."

The Government's failures in dealing with dementia, seem to be another case of high rhetoric short of real action. No wonder the Select Committee was so incensed.

P.S. You can read the full Committee Report HERE.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com