Janet Finch-Saunders, Assembly Member for Aberconwy, has praised the organisers of the Carols by Candlelight service, held on Saturday 3rd December at Llandudno’s Trinity Church.
The Assembly Member said:
“I was delighted to attend the Alzheimer’s Society Carols by Candlelight service on Saturday and to support their vital work to help people to live well with dementia today, and to fund research to find a cure for tomorrow.
“The performances of the Harmony Choir, and local young harpist Catrin Elin, were breathtaking, and made for a wonderfully festive atmosphere.
“As Older People’s Champion for the Welsh Conservatives, I am working hard to highlight awareness of dementia and the support available to those living with this illness and their families, and have been calling on the Welsh Government to work to make wales the first Dementia Friendly Nation in the UK.”
ENDS
Photo: (L-R) Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Llandudno Mayor Cllr Carol Marubbi, Ruth Owen (community fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society)
Notes:
[From Alzheimer’s Society - Wales]
More than 45,000 people in Wales are currently living with dementia. This figure is expected to exceed 55,000 by 2021, and over 100,000 by 2055.
In November, it was found that dementia has now overtaken heart disease as the biggest cause of death in Britain, accounting for 11.6% of all recorded deaths.
Wales has the lowest diagnosis rate in the whole of the UK – only 43% of those with dementia have been given a formal diagnosis, compared to 64% in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The UK Government – launched ‘Challenge on Dementia 2020’ in 2015, to improve treatment and care, and has already invested £50m in creating dementia friendly environments in hospitals and care homes, and training given to 500,000 NHS staff (with more up to 2018).
Since 2007, the Scottish Government has trained over 500 Dementia Champions to lead improvements with frontline NHS Staff, and 800 Dementia Ambassadors working to develop skills and knowledge locally.
In Wales, there are just 32 Welsh Government-funded dementia support workers across the whole country, and a shocking 1 in 10 of those diagnosed were not given any support at all in the first year after their diagnosis.