Boris launches dementia initiative

By Gemma Raw

Photo credit: Simon Dawson

As one of his final initiatives before leaving office, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched a national mission to tackle dementia.

The outgoing PM has also committed to increasing research funding for dementia, as well as creating a new taskforce to speed up progress, based on the model which was so successful in fast-tracking the COVID-19 vaccine.

The new initiative has been created in memory of Dame Barbara Windsor, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2014 and died in 2020. Scott Mitchell, the late actress's husband, recently met with Mr Johnson at Downing Street to discuss the significant suffering caused by dementia and the slow progress which is being made in finding treatments and cures.

An additional £95 million in ringfenced funding has been committed, which will boost the number or clinical trials and innovative research projects. This will help meet the Tory government's manifesto commitment to double dementia research funding by 2024.

"Dame Barbara Windsor was a British hero," said Mr Johnson. "I am delighted that we can now honour Dame Barbara in such a fitting way, launching a new national dementia mission in her name."

Call for volunteers

Mr Johnson has also called for volunteers with or without personal experience of dementia to join 'Bab's Army' and sign up for clinical trials for preventative therapies. You can register your interest via the Join Dementia Research website.

A growing problem

According to a report commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society and the London School of Economics, there were around 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK in 2019. This is predicted to rise to one million by 2025 and 1.6 million by 2040, at a projected cost to the health and social care system of over £94 billion.
In April 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) monthly death statistics for England showed dementia as the country's biggest killer.

Guidance for social workers

Many people working in social care jobs provide valuable support to those living with dementia. While it's generally frontline care workers who provide vital day-to-day assistance, social workers also have an important role to play in ensuring that people with dementia and their loved ones receive the support they need.

Research in practice has created a Dementia website, aimed at helping social workers offer positive, helpful support to people who have dementia. The site features useful information, tools, practice guidance and professional development resources for those in a variety of social work roles.

In addition, the Department of Health has published a dementia manual for social workers. It's targeted at social workers in day-to-day practice supporting adults who have dementia, as well as their carers, families and friends. It's also for senior social workers, as well as social work supervisors and managers who may dip in and out of social work practice with adults who have dementia.