Minister’s ‘no show’ at key dementia event slammed

The Government has been accused of failing to make dementia a priority after neglecting to send a representative to an The Alzheimer’s Society of Irelandon the issue.

The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland (ASI) expressed “concern and disappointment” that Ireland would not be attending the World Health Organisation (WHO) ministerial convention on dementia in Geneva, saying the move demonstrates “a worrying lack of commitment to addressing a major public health issue.”

The aim of the two-day conference, which began yesterday, was to place action on dementia higher on national and global political agendas, and to highlight the potential benefits of co-ordinated global action.