Motion: Dementia 2010, Better Funding for Alzheimer’s Research

Dementia 2010, Better Funding for Alzheimer’s Research

Lodged by Irene Oldfather Standard Motion 21 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the report, Dementia 2010, by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust; notes that the report estimates that dementia currently costs £23 billion in the United Kingdom, with £12 billion of this being met by unpaid carers supporting people with dementia at home; is concerned by the findings that, per person, dementia costs twice as much as cancer and three times as much as heart disease, yet, for every £1 that is spent on dementia research, £15 is spent on heart disease and £26 is spent on cancer research; agrees that, with an aging population, dementia represents one of the greatest medical challenges for the 21st century and research should therefore be appropriately funded; supports Alzheimer Scotland’s proposal for a change fund of £15 million per year over the next five years to assist local authorities and NHS boards to direct resources into early intervention and personalised support for people with dementia and their carers; believes that this change fund should form part of the forthcoming national dementia strategy; notes the recent appointment of Professor Alistair Burns as national dementia tsar responsible for leading the UK Government’s dementia strategy in England, and calls on the Scottish Government to appoint an equivalent tsar in Scotland not only to provide leadership and co-ordination for the dementia strategy in Scotland, but also to ensure that the rights of people with dementia and their carers are championed across the public and private sector.

Supporters (21)