A charity is calling for more awareness of dementia after a survey revealed those with the condition feel lonely and neglected. The research was carried out by the Alzheimer’s Society and revealed half of Britons feel dementia is surrounded by a stigma. People who have been diagnosed with the illness say they lost friends and have gone through a distressing process before being told they have dementia. Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said the report exposed the desperate need to increase awareness among the public and professionals. “It’s absolutely disgraceful that people with the dementia are still plagued by a stigma that affects their friends, families and the professionals they rely on for help,” he said. Terry Pratchett, the best-selling author, was diagnosed with dementia last December and is backing the campaign to raise awareness. In the UK 700,000 people have some form of the illness and half of these suffer from Alzheimer’s. This figure is expected to reach one million in the next 20 years.

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13 October 2008
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