Thursday 12 September 2013

Stephen Metcalfe MP makes pledge in the fight against dementia

Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, has recently pledged to take action to support the 800,000 people living with dementia across the UK.

Mr Metcalfe joined 200 other MPs and representatives from Alzheimer’s Society in Portcullis House, Westminster to provide a handwritten statement of the action they will take to support people with dementia and their carers.

The local MP pledged to work with Alzheimer’s Society to improve support for people with dementia. He commented:  “One in three people over 65 will develop dementia. This is a frightening statistic which highlights just how many people there are in the UK suffering from this health problem. We must do more to ensure that dementia sufferers have access to the help and support that they need and I look forward to working with the Alzheimer’s Society to ensure that this happens.”

Alzheimer’s Society campaigners were in Westminster to drum up political support for their trailblazing Dementia Friends initiative that launched in February this year. Dementia Friends aims to help people understand what it might be like to live with dementia and turn that understanding into action. Alzheimer’s Society is aiming to have one million Dementia Friends by 2015, to help make England more dementia-friendly and improve the lives of the 650,000 people currently living with the condition.

During the afternoon, 30 MPs from across England took part in a Dementia Friends session. Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Society said:  “Most people don’t know enough about dementia. Dementia Friends is the perfect opportunity to be able to invite everyone to improve their knowledge. We are pleased to have been able to engage over 130 MPs in one day. They have a huge influence in their local communities and we hope they will use this opportunity to take action and improve lives.” 

If you are interested in becoming a Dementia Friend or helping create more communities that are dementia friendly, go to dementiafriends.org.uk to find your nearest information session or to volunteer as a Dementia Friends Champion.