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Dementia Sufferers

I am pleased to see the Minister nodding in approval, because this is not a terribly party political issue. It is, however, a difficult issue, because it is not very sexy. Some illnesses and problems attract great media attention, and we find them somehow easier to deal with, but dementia is one of the hardest to tackle. Geriatric care, as it used to be known, often came at the bottom of the pile in terms of funding, and psychogeriatric care came even lower. Although people with dementia are by no means all over 65, a significant number are. As parliamentarians, we have a duty to change things and address this extremely difficult issue. My hon. Friend has mentioned several issues, including research, and more research clearly needs to be done. We must do what we can to slow the progression of dementia, because that will have a significant impact not only on those who care for people with dementia, but on the Government's budget. My hon. Friend has discussed training, which is a terribly important issue that also arises for people with learning difficulties and for parent carers of children with profound disabilities. We need training for hospital staff, dentists and other care staff—people whom we take for granted, if we are well—because they may not recognise the needs of people with dementia and may, indeed, not recognise dementia when they see it. My hon. Friend briefly mentioned the over-prescribing of neuroleptic drugs. He was at pains not to be critical of their use, but we should accept the fact that using them significantly increases the risk of someone having a stroke, which would obviously have a profound impact on somebody who is already suffering from dementia. To some extent, the use of neuroleptics is a signal of our feelings of impotence when it comes to dealing adequately with people with dementia.