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'Grey voters’ demand dementia action

in
Date published: 
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
News source: 
Alzheimer’s Research Trust
Region: 
United Kingdom
 
Grey voters 
Four out of five older people believe the Government should increase dementia research funding and reap the economic benefits, a new Alzheimer’s Research Trust/YouGov poll has revealed.
 
Prof Simon Lovestone, Chair of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust’s Scientific Advisory Board, said: “Dementia will cost the UK economy £35 billion annually within 20 years. Continuingthe investment in dementia research is important if we are to find more effective treatments. If new research results in a five year delay in Alzheimer’s progression, we can halve the number of people with the disease.” 
 
700,000 people in the UK live with dementia, a number expected to double within a generation. The Alzheimer’s Research Trust estimates that half of all over-55s know a close friend or family member with dementia, and one in three over-65s will die with a form of dementia. 
 
The average age of an MP is 54, and a Lord, 68. 
 
The shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien recently said at the Conservative Party Conference: "a Conservative Government will ensure that funding for Alzheimer's research is given far greater priority within NHS and Medical Research Council funding."

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown said at that Labour Party conference: "Over the last few years we've made major breakthroughs in research relevant to cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and strokes and many more. But these are yet to be turned into treatments from, which we can all benefit from.

 

 

 

Their concerns are echoed by a leading scientist who warns that dementia’s economic burden must be ameliorated through an increase in research.

The nationally representative poll of 2,048 people found that four-fifths of over 55s – ‘grey voters’ – believe that the Government should ‘review its research priorities and invest more in dementia research’ with the same portion agreeing that ‘spending more on dementia research now will benefit the UK economy in the long run, through reducing the cost of disease to society’. Two thirds of respondents in all age categories also agreed with these statements. 
 
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “Grey voters are twice as likely to vote as young people. Politicians’ jobs as well as their health may be at risk if they continue to prevaricate on dementia research. There is a growing recognition that the human and economic cost of dementia is unsustainable unless we invest in research now to find new preventions, treatments and cures.   
 
 “Just 3% of the Government’s medical research budget is invested in dementia. All three main political parties have promised to make dementia research a higher priority, but we have yet to see solid policy pledges.”  

 

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