Dementia strategy - Prioritising the invisible affliction

The report presented to a conference on dementia at Trinity College yesterday poses a major challenge for Government.

It is already costing about €1.6 billion annually to treat and look after the 41,700 people afflicted with dementia.

Nearly half of the cost is borne by the families. More than half — or 26,104 — of those people are being looked after at home, while the rest live in long-term care. There are an estimated 50,000 family carers in this country looking after somebody with at least one of the six specified symptoms of dementia.

A frightening aspect is the suggestion that the number of those with dementia is expected to rise by 4,000 this year and the overall figure is likely to triple over the next 30 years.

Most of those suffering from dementia are at home and are not aware that they have the disease. As a result, few of them are likely to be in contact with the health and care system. The report highlights the need to face up to the issue and develop a clear national dementia strategy to deal with it, especially when the problems are likely to grow so precipitously in coming years.

People are living longer as medicine comes to grips with many of the diseases that so often proved fatal in the past. More people are developing dementia than heart disease or cancer.

The British, French, Dutch and Norwegians have developed strategies that focus on diagnosis and the training of professionals in the field, in order to improve not only the quality of care but also the quality of life of those suffering from Alzheimer’s. Moreover, the quality of life of the carers should also be considered.

Early diagnosis in this country is still the exception rather than the rule. About 90% of English GPs keep dementia records and this undoubtedly helps to highlight the issue and stress its importance.

Professor Suzanne Cahill, one of the co-authors of yesterday’s report, noted that dementia was “hidden and largely invisible in Ireland”.

As a result it is not being afforded the priority that it needs and deserves.

In this instance, however, Finance Minister Michael Noonan is unfortunately only too aware of the problems and difficulties, because his wife Florence has been suffering for Alzheimer’s for some years. In 2010 he spoke movingly on RTÉ’s Frontline programme about his wife’s difficulties, and he called at that time for a national strategy to handle the disease.

Health Minister James Reilly stated yesterday that such a strategy would be produced next year. This will have to take cognisance of the need for better training for GPs to recognise the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

As a society we need to face up to these problems now, and assign them a priority as we rectify the current financial difficulties.