Shelagh Fogart's show-BBC Radio 5

Notes from Shelagh Fogarty-BBC Radio 5 (17/02/13)

What the show was about: Does the way that we diagnose and care for people with dementia need to change?

·      1 Million people are to be trained as ‘Dementia Friends’ to support people with the condition.

·      1/3 people over 65 will develop dementia.

·      In less than 10 years an estimated 1 Million people in the UK will be living with it.

·      800,000 living with Dementia, half of that is Alzheimer’s specifically.

·      Another 500,000 people living with dementia undiagnosed.

·      New chief executive of NHS commissioning board said himself “hospitals were very bad places for people with Dementia”

·      Early diagnosis is crucial to get access to treatment and support and also make plans for the future

·      Diagnoses of dementia need to be more sensitive and caring, in a human way.

·      Across the country the support services vary- Salford daycare center, singing therapy ‘singing for the brain’

·      Patchy support

·      Memory clinics

·      Cuts to local government affecting services

·      Project set up a fake village built in 1950s style specially for sufferers

·      Diagnosis difficult for GPs-lack of training, or no following support services for suffers so no point in making a diagnosis-sometimes passed off as ‘old age’

·      Gerry Anderson donated his brain to dementia research

·      A couple of drugs available but don’t work for everyone.

·      ‘Dementia Friends’ is a way of spreading knowledge on it, and raising awareness of condition.

·      Trying to make people more aware of keeping an eye out for the elderly

·      Not always easy to get a diagnosis

·      Combat it with drugs and therapy-singing for the brain-new and old songs with different emotions

·    Some difficulties with lots of different carers with certain councils-dementia sufferers need a consistent team of carers

Reflection
The main thing I will take away from this show is the fact and figures on just how many people will be living with dementia, that in less than 10 years an estimated 1 million people in the UK will be living with it. Also the figure about 1/3 of people over 65s will develop it, there is a similar figure about cancer affecting 1/3 people, however more are aware of the symptoms and facts and figures about cancer. I think the facts and figures are something I could use in a poster.