The Prime Minister, David Cameron has announced that dementia research funding is to be more than doubled by 2015 in order to make the UK one of the leading countries in the field. He said that the fact that the UK has not done more to tackle dementia is a “scandal”, and stated that tackling the “national crisis” is one of his own personal priorities.
Mr Cameron launched a ‘national challenge on dementia’, looking into cures for the degenerative condition as well as health and social care infrastructure. The funding for research will hit £66 million in three years’ time, compared with around £26.6 million for 2010.
Commenting on the announcement, Leeds Metropolitan’s senior lecturer in Mental Health, Martin Neal, believes that the increase in funding for research into dementia will present a series of challenges that need to be considered. He said: “The announcement of the Government’s doubling of the budget for research into dementia by 2015 is to be welcomed, but presents a series of challenges that need to be considered and addressed. It should not be forgotten that dementia is an umbrella term that has many forms and variants, and to this end there is a real danger that this resource will be spread very thinly.
“While a great deal of progress has already been made in identifying the causes of dementia and developing treatments for dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease, there is no lasting cure for dementia. The use of emotive language such as ‘terrible disease’ can lead to dementia becoming a condition that is not talked about or discussed in public. As a result, increasing formal diagnosis and enabling increased access for those requiring services can result in stigma for those diagnosed with dementia and their families.
"If this funding is to be used to the maximum benefit for those individuals with dementia and their families it will need to address all aspects of dementia and not just its biological causes. Helping the broader community and carers to have a greater understanding about dementia can only be beneficial provided this is not solely grounded in a biological explanation for or of the symptoms. Increasingly there is evidence that factors other than medication can help slow down and possibly prevent the onset of dementia and it is important that this field of research is not neglected.”
