How the UK is Investing Money into Tackling Dementia

There’s never been a more exciting time in the fight against dementia! Now, more than ever before, the UK government is investing and making plans to tackle dementia. 

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid spoke at the Alzheimer’s Society Conference this past May, where he outlined the government’s 10-year plan for the future and what is already being implemented now. 

The time to invest is now

Sadly, dementia and Alzheimer's disease is on the rise. It’s estimated that one million people will be living with dementia by 2025 and 1.6 million by 2040. 

The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, with 30,000 people in the UK facing delays to treatment and dementia diagnoses. 

Thankfully, it’s not too late to alter our future. Statistics show that up to 40% of dementia is considered potentially preventable! The Health and Social Care Secretary’s 10 year plan will introduce preventative measures, so we can take action now. 

What is the UK government already doing?

There are already several measures put in place by the UK government on dementia care. Recently the government has committed £375 million into research on neurodegenerative diseases and Sajid Javid’s plan aims to boost this even further. 

They’ve also already announced other measures including:

-  Social care charging reforms, with more generous means testing and a lifetime cap on care costs
-  A white paper discussing better link health and social care systems
-  The Health and Care Act which will put the person at the centre of care
-  Levelling up healthcare and reducing disparities across the country

What measures have been announced?

The Health and Social Care Secretary announced a new 10-year plan at the Alzheimer's Society’s conference, detailing ways to tackle dementia and to boost funding into research. 

The plan will focus on how new medicines and emerging science and technology can be harnessed to improve outcomes for dementia patients across the country. It will also focus on supporting people with their specific health and care needs while living with dementia. This may mean live-in care by providers with specialist dementia care experience or other options. 

All these plans will work across the government to boost the £375 million already committed to research and will also help reduce the covid pandemic backlog to ensure people are given a quicker diagnosis. 

The specifics of this 10-year plan will be published later this year. 

What preventative measures can we take? 

Knowing that 40% of dementia is considered potentially preventable should give us a lot of hope. One of the biggest preventative measures we can take is to live healthy lifestyles, because what's good for our heart is good for our brain.

Tackling high blood pressure, physical inactivity, alcohol and obesity should be the top of everyone’s list. We can all take steps towards preventing dementia daily, by promoting healthy eating, exercise and good mental health. 

It’s great to know dementia is at the forefront of the UK government's health and social care plans. With cases only continuing to rise it’s important we act now against this debilitating disease.