Henry Simmons: Greater financial aid for dementia is needed

Published on Thursday 2 July 2009 09:20

THE Alzheimer's Research Trust and Alzheimer's Society have called for a significant increase in funding for dementia research, and have asked Westminster to commit to both a national dementia research strategy and triple annual investment to £96 million within five years.

In some ways, Scotland is at the forefront regarding a commitment to dementia research. The Scottish Government launched the Scottish Dementia Research Organisational Network (SCOTDRON) in August 2008, with clinical research hubs in NHS boards for Lothian, Glasgow, Grampian and Tayside. SCOTDRON has been funded with just over 1 million from 2008 until 2011.

However, I don't believe that it goes far enough. 30 per cent of people over the age of 65 will die with dementia and according to the World Health Organisation, dementia is a direct cause of 11.2 per cent of all years lived with a disability: more than stroke (9 per cent), heart disease (5 per cent) and cancer (2.4 per cent).

63,500 people in Scotland currently have dementia and over the next 25 years that will rise to 110,000. 7,000 are diagnosed with the illness every year. Given these statistics, it's hardly surprising that it has a huge impact on the Scottish economy: the current cost of dementia in Scotland is around 1.6 billion. Alzheimer Scotland helps to fund a number of research projects, including the work of Dr Gillian Hamilton at the University of Edinburgh, When I spoke to her recently, she said she felt very fortunate to work in Alzheimer's disease research in the UK, as we have a close research community here with a wide range of expertise.

However, given that Alzheimer's disease affects so many and that there is currently no cure, it saddened her that such work is so under-funded compared to other areas.

The announcement of the first national dementia strategy for Scotland indicates a willingness to engage with this illness. I hope that some of that will translate into a greater financial commitment.

&#149 Henry Simmons is chief executive of Alzheimer Scotland