Talking Politics Dementia must become a priority
By Holly LynchMP (Labour, Halifax)
Too often I am reminded that dementia is one of the greatest healthcare challenges of our time. There is an estimated 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and the number is growing every year.
Sadly, in 2022, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were the leading cause of death and I, like most of us, love or know someone living with dementia.
In Calderdale, we have a great network of organisations working to support those with dementia as well as those who care for them and I want to pay tribute to Calderdale Dementia Hub, Memory Lane Café and the Calderdale Dementia Friendly Community (CDFC), who do so much to raise awareness and provide advice and support.
CDFC which launched in the spring wants to encourage dementia friendly initiatives across the borough and provide a variety of resources to businesses and organisations to help them become more dementia friendly.
I was recently invited by CDFC to interview Scott Mitchell, the widow of the late Dame Barbara Windsor, at a powerful event at Halifax Town Hall, which was such a privilege
Dame Barbara best known for her role as the infamous Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders sadly died in 2020 having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014.
Scott shared with us his experience of caring for his wife and how the progression of the condition impacted him and Barbara, as well as the difficulties navigating the health and social care services.
Both Scott and members of the audience shared their experiences of becoming fulltime carers for loved ones and the weight of those responsibilities.
While we are lucky to have such great organisations in Calderdale, the needs of people with dementia must be a priority for any government.
We must prioritise research, in order to get ahead of the challenge to prevent, treat and cure this heart-breaking condition.
Breakthroughs in research and new drugs offer hope for delaying symptom progression and slowing the loss of quality of life with MPs keen to ensure that the government keeps its pledge to double research funding into dementia by 2024.
Unfortunately, the government has shelved its plan for a dedicated dementia strategy and is instead consulting on a wide-ranging Major Conditions Strategy.
I’ll be working with the Alzheimer’s Society and others to ensure that the distinct challenges of dementia are not lost within a broad strategy.
Transforming dementia diagnosis and care is equally important and we have to fix social care if we are going to meet the challenge.
It’s why I am so hopeful about Labour’s long-term plan for reform of adult social care, leading to a world-class National Care Service that makes people as proud as the NHS does: transforming access and making sure everyone with dementia who needs care and support can get it.
I am so grateful to the volunteers, who work so hard across Calderdale, but we need a service which ensures the care is there, wherever a person lives, available to all those who need it, when they need it.