Unlock key to care with dementia diagnosis

From: Teresa Todd, Moor Grange View, Leeds.

I WISH to alert readers to the worrying fact there are still too many people who are living with dementia but have never received a diagnosis.

New figures reveal that across England, only 48 per cent of people living with dementia ever get a diagnosis.

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This is an increase of just two per cent on last year, despite the Government’s efforts to improve this.

I ask for your help as I am supporting the Alzheimer’s Society campaign to raise awareness of this key issue (Yorkshire Post, November 2).

A diagnosis is just as important to people who live with dementia as the key to your car or your own front door. It unlocks access to support, information, and sometimes treatment. With the right help, it is possible to live well with dementia, and a diagnosis allows people to plan for the future.

These shocking new figures show that dementia is still yet to be given the same priority as other conditions.

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The Government, the NHS, local GPs and the wider public all have a role to play in helping people to get the support they need.

Help us change things for the better and sign up to stay in touch at www.alzheimers.org.uk/campaignersnetwork

There is no one cure for dementia but having a diagnosis can be very helpful for the individual, their family and friends and importantly for the person or people caring for them.

There are strategies that can help to make life more manageable for all concerned. It is better to know than be left in the dark, confused, anxious and worried.