There are 10,000 people living with dementia in Cambridgeshire but we know that many of them aren’t receiving the help they need.
In fact, a UK wide study found three quarters of GPs feel their patients with dementia aren’t getting enough support from adult social services.
The result is that unpaid family carers across Cambridgeshire are filling in the gaps.
In our report – Dementia 2015: Paving the Way – we are calling for two things to happen.
Firstly, we need your readers to speak to their GP if they are worried about their memory. It might be nothing, but if it is dementia then getting a diagnosis opens the door to support.
Secondly, we need to see more funding going to services for people with a diagnosis. The support in Cambridgeshire is delivered by hardworking professionals and it makes a tangible difference to people’s lives, but we need to go further.
The number of people with dementia is continuing to rise. It is time for the government to seize the momentum for change, and realise its ambition to make the UK a global leader on dementia care.
GILL LINTOTT
Alzheimer’s Society Operations Manager, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire
Via e-mail
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