DVD focuses on dementia

A DVD has been launched to help people caring for someone with dementia in the Lothians.

The Coping with Dementia product is aimed at helping the thousands of voluntary carers in the area looking after someone with a condition like Alzheimer's.

The NHS DVD has been created as experts forecast rates of dementia increasing by as much as 40 per cent over coming decades.

Margaret Burns, chairwoman of NHS Health Scotland, said: "The voice of carers is central to this DVD.

"It is based on the real experiences of carers of people with moderate to severe dementia. "Offering information and support in this way was what carers told us they wanted and what carers said people in their situation would find most useful.

"By making this high-quality resource available to carers across Scotland, we hope it will not only be valuable for those who need it, but that it also supports some of the work outlined in the Scottish Government's Dementia Strategy, raising awareness of dementia and the support available to people with dementia, their families and carers."