Dementia Manifesto

Making Dementia a National Health Priority
The time for action is now

Currently there are 44,000 people with dementia in Ireland; Estimates suggest that within 20 years the numbers of people affected will double and by 2036 104,000 people will be affected.

There are 50,000 carers of people with dementia in Ireland Right now, there are 100,000 people in Ireland whose lives are directly affected by dementia; this figure increases three or four-fold when you consider the effect on the wider family

The 2006 baseline cost of dementia in Ireland is estimated at €400m

A reluctance to commit additional resources is at the heart of the problem in relation to the implementation of the national Action Plan for Dementia

Demographic trends, health and social care cost and disease burden mean that dementia must become a national health priority issue.

Positive Solutions
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland's Dementia Manifesto 2007-2009 calls on the Government to recognise and designate dementia as a national health priority. One of the key ways to achieve this begins with the full and accelerated implementation of An Action Plan for Dementia (APD). The Alzheimer Society’s Dementia Manifesto is a further refinement of the priorities set out in the three-year APD, based on consultation and research with a key range of stakeholders. In practical terms, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland wants the Government to support positive solutions to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers. It seeks an investment in three main areas over the next three years:

1. Enhanced and flexible community based services - €63m
2. Early diagnosis, intervention, awareness and education - €12m
3. Medical and Social Research - €30m

The total financial investment required to achieve the implementation of this Manifesto is €35m per annum for the next three years; €21m for service provision; €4m for awareness raising and €10m for research.