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09.11.15

Investment in dementia ‘vital’ as it leads the way in death rates

Investment in dementia research should be prioritised, Alzheimer’s Research UK has said, after figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the disease was the leading killer of women and the second leading killer of men in 2014.

The figures, published today (9 November), showed that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were the cause of more than 13% of all female deaths last year.

Despite this, there are no treatments yet able to affect the course of these diseases.

Hilary Evans, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Diseases like Alzheimer’s are causing untold heartache for families across the UK, and these statistics should give us cause to redouble our efforts in the fight against them.

“Advances in medicine have helped reduce the impact of conditions like heart disease; now we must see the same happen for dementia. Investment in research is vital if we are to find ways of treating and preventing dementia, and ultimately reduce the number of people dying from this devastating condition.”

The findings are also consistent with recent studies that show healthcare providers are failing to provide dementia-friendly services across hospitals.

They are being encouraged to recognise the specific challenges posed by dementia treatment after an HSCIC report assigned a “relatively low” score for dementia services in the NHS.

And in July, nearly two-third of doctors agreed that a lack of cooperation between the NHS and social care acts as a barrier for dementia patients to receive the support they need.

The poll also found that half of GPs think the NHS is doing too little to care for people with the condition. More than two-thirds believe patients don’t get enough provision from adult social services after a diagnosis.

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