Joining forces to tackle dementia

HEALTH groups are joining forces to make it easier for people diagnosed with dementia to get help and information.

The Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, main provider of NHS care for people with dementia in the county, has linked with the Alzheimer's Society to streamline procedures.

A YouGov opinion poll, published by the Alzheimer's Society during last week's Dementia Awareness Week, showed almost a third of people (31 per cent) would not know where to go for advice and support.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yet with one in three people over 65 dying of the condition, which manifests itself in more than 100 different forms, it is vital support is made available quickly and efficiently.

Sussex has a higher than average population of people over 65, the age at which the risk of developing dementia starts to rise, and there are an estimated 25,000 countywide affected by the condition.

This figure is predicted to rise by 12 per cent by 2014, and a projected annual cost to the Sussex economy of caring for sufferers will be nearly 720 m.

Neil Waterhouse, NHS Trust director of Older People's Mental Health Services, said: "It's clear that despite advances in care and treatment, the NHS and the voluntary sector need to work even more closely together.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Only by much more integrated team working will it be possible for those affected by dementia and their carers to be given transparent, fast and simple ways to access information and treatment."

Elisa Vaughan, Sussex locality manager for the Alzheimer's Society, said she welcomed the opportunity to strengthen links with the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust still further.