Rise in demand for dementia helpline

A national helpline for dementia has revealed last year was its busiest yet, with a 20% rise in calls overall, and double the amount of calls from early stage dementia sufferers.

A third of all calls came from Dublin, followed by Cork, Kildare, and Galway. Almost half said they had not yet spoken to a GP about dementia.

The helpline, which is the only one of its kind in Ireland, is run by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) six days a week and manned by a team of trained staff and volunteers.