Dementia support needs to become an election issue as numbers set to rise

The number of Irish people with dementia will rise 40% in the term of the next government, says the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI).

There are 48,000 people with dementia in Ireland, but that number is expected to have increased to 68,216 people by 2020, and to 132,000 by 2041, said the ASI, which yesterday launched its general election campaign.

The Vote to Remember campaign, available at www.votetoremember.ie, urges candidates to pledge their support to prioritising dementia, and asks for the public’s support by voting for those candidates.