Dementia Friends can be a big help

ROSAMUND Urwin [“We should all be helping to care for the lonely elderly”, Comment, July 2] is right that individuals cannot replace the state supporting elderly people, not least those with dementia who are more at risk of loneliness than most.

There must be more help from NHS and care staff, alongside the support of volunteers and family carers. That said, we can all play our part to prevent isolation and help integrate people with dementia into their community.

I’d urge everyone to join the more than one million people who have already become Dementia Friends. Jeremy Hughes, chief executive, Alzheimer’s Society