Prior to the general election, then-Shadow Minister for Care, Andrew Gwynne MP, committed a Labour Government to increasing the national dementia diagnosis rate target. Alzheimer’s Society looks forward to working with the UK Government to deliver on this pledge. Alex, from our Policy team, discusses why diagnosis rates need to improve, and why this must be top of the new government's agenda.
Can you direct me to the Wales specific evidence and statistics please.
The King's Fund report speaks to the need for change and the solutions required to help people access a dementia diagnoses and the value of integration of care and post diagnostic support. The learning is very much aligned with Here (Care Unbound Ltd) Brighton and Hove Memory Assessment Service. As an integrated clinical and support service, providing assessment, diagnosis and treatment as well as peri and post diagnostic support, helps us work in a holistic and highly personalised way, that supports both the person with dementia and their support network live well while also planning for the future. In a disease with no cure, improving diagnosis rates and the quality of life for the people we serve, should be our collective priority and ICS play a key role in transformation and require support to create system wide solutions. https://lnkd.in/eda9ZV4n
Our long read on dementia diagnosis and integrated care systems (ICSs) sets out some key ways that ICSs can help improve diagnosis rates and care. These include: ▶️ Visible prioritisation ▶️ Collaboration ▶️ Sharing good practice ▶️ Supporting action at scale ▶️ Tackling health Inequalities Find out more. https://lnkd.in/df4Wq_ZS
Our long read on dementia diagnosis and integrated care systems (ICSs) sets out some key ways that ICSs can help improve diagnosis rates and care. These include: ▶️ Visible prioritisation ▶️ Collaboration ▶️ Sharing good practice ▶️ Supporting action at scale ▶️ Tackling health Inequalities Find out more. https://lnkd.in/df4Wq_ZS
The first of the evaluation results of the Australian #forwardwithdementia program were published this week in the journal BMC Health Services Research, including improvements in health professional communication of the dementia diagnosis. Read more on our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/gJCbEG-W #dementiadiagnosis #dementiaawareness #dementiasupport
Tackling dementia in seniors? Click below to discover strategies for early detection and intervention, tailored to each patient's needs. Learn how these steps can improve your patients health outcomes. 👇 https://ow.ly/tGuQ50Rvenq #PrimaryCare #SeniorHealth
Nationwide trials are set to commence to identify swift and accurate blood tests for diagnosing dementia. Teams from University College London and University of Oxford are collaborating to gather the necessary evidence for validating these diagnostic blood tests within the NHS over the next five years. Presently, dementia diagnosis in the UK heavily relies on memory tests and brain scans, which are less precise than 'gold standard' tests like PET scans or lumbar punctures. Unfortunately, only 2% of individuals have access to these specialised tests. Blood tests offer a promising solution as they are quick, easily administered, and cost-effective compared to current methods. Their integration into the diagnostic process could represent a significant breakthrough in dementia treatment across the UK. As a therapy provider working closely with dementia patients, Therapies on Thames is excited about this development. We believe it holds tremendous promise to positively impact diagnosis rates and transform dementia treatment in the UK. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dJzQ7xtJ #DementiaCareBreakthrough #InnovativeDiagnosis #TransformingTreatment #AccessibleHealthcare #CostEffectiveSolutions #TherapiesOnThames #UKHealthcareRevolution
📜 Dead chuffed for us Future Health Research to make the front page of the Telegraph today with our analysis looking at the rising numbers of undiagnosed dementia cases across the UK. Full story here: https://lnkd.in/eMvWZdg5 The research report notes that whilst lots of progress was made in the 2010s, dementia diagnosis rates have slipped back. With cases rising and potential new treatments on the way, policy action needs to keep-up. You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eKBv4TDn Big thanks to Lilly UK for sponsoring this work. #futurehealth #healthpolicy #dementia #healthpolicy
For anyone that has lived through having a loved one with dementia-like symptoms, this news won't come as much of a surprise... Diagnosis is challenging to obtain - but why is diagnosis important? 1. Dementia like symptoms can be caused by something else, something which can perhaps be treated. 2. Access to the proper support and resources for the person living with these symptoms but also crucially their family, is impossible to secure without a diagnosis. 3. There are many different types of dementia with different symptoms and progression. Knowing which someone has will inform the treatments or therapies which maybe effective and give families a better idea of what to expect. 4. Those with undiagnosed dementia will not have protection against being treated unfairly and may miss out on access to financial benefits. 5. A diagnosis is needed for an individual to participate in clinical trials for treatments that will help, including for drug trials such as the widely publicised Lecanemab but also for #medtech such as our own app! Don't put off speaking to your GP about #dementia like symptoms in yourself or a loved one or refer to the #Alzheimer's Society for more information. https://lnkd.in/ghE2D9e https://lnkd.in/dQNXyiWA
Almost everything is preventable. As physicians, we have the power to reduce dementia. Paying attention to hearing and visual loss can help us identify patients who may need a prompt intervention. #Prevention #Healthcare #Physicians #DementiaAwareness
Exec Director of Policy & Comms, working to unlock access to medicines for the 1 in 2 of us who will be affected by a diagnosis of dementia #ForACure 🟧
500,000 cases of dementia could go undiagnosed by 2040, if nothing changes 🧠 Startling new analysis from Richard Sloggett, and the team at Future Health Research on the front page of today's Telegraph. The research also finds: 🛑 The UK is still missing targets for dementia diagnosis ➡ There is no national dementia strategy for England (and we've been waiting years for a new one) 📲 Data is poor and incomplete 👩⚕️ A lack of action on risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and obesity We urgently need to see greater ambition for better services and support across the UK for people with dementia and their families. #foracure https://lnkd.in/eyScp865
My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2012 but no-one thought to tell us until 2017. His memory test score had gone from 80% to 40% in that time. He was given a drug that could slow it down for anything between 6 - 18 months and it did, but for all of us, it would have been so much better if he could have had that pause in his decline in 2012 rather than 2017. They were much better with Mum, it was she who didn't want a diagnosis but she had other factors which had unlocked any benefits she was eligible for, anyway. There is no help, no advice and when you finally get someone willing to give real information rather than just 'signpost' the different bodies give completely different answers to the same question leaving Dementia sufferers and their families even more confused than before. Dementia also stands for Destitution. It looks like the NHS, wanting to save money, picks on the most vunlerable people with the least capacity to fight back. Frankly, it's shameful. Betwen 2012 and December 2023, my parents paid over £1m of their (and our) money on care they were promised would be provided for free (until they actually came to need it). Dementia is a really hard road and adding money worries to that is, frankly, evil.