AM supports launch of Wales dementia care report

Joyce Watson AM this week attended the launch of a report that details the financial cost to Wales of dementia.
The Labour Mid and West AM joined Sue Phelps, Director of Alzheimer’s Society in Wales, for the launch event at the Welsh Assembly on Tuesday (7 July).
‘The hidden cost of dementia in Wales’ is the first report of its kind – a financial breakdown of the cost of dementia care and support.
The study reveals that in 2013 the total cost of dementia in Wales was £1.4 billion, an average of £31,300 per person per year. It also reveals that people with dementia, with their carers and family members, shoulder around two-thirds of the cost themselves.
Mrs Watson attended a drop-in session held for Assembly Members at the Senedd to discuss the findings of the report. She said:
“The number of people living with dementia going up; we must find sustainable ways to work together, to meet that present and future challenge.”
Sue Phelps, Director of Alzheimer’s Society in Wales said:
“There are 45,000 people living with dementia in Wales and dementia is a challenge that cannot be overlooked. Costs of dementia will continue to rise unless we have a system that better supports both people with dementia and their carers.
“We are delighted that Joyce has shown her commitment today towards supporting people in mid and west Wales and across the country with dementia.
“We need continued commitment and investment to ensure that we deliver the improvements in care and research that people with dementia and their loved ones deserve. It is important that we do not lose the momentum that has built up over the previous years. This report highlights the need for an appropriately resourced national dementia strategy that prioritises person-centred, integrated care. I hope that we can call upon the support of Joyce in our bid for this to become a reality in the next Assembly term.”