For too long, England’s dementia care crisis has been hidden behind closed doors, lived by people who rarely have opportunities to be heard. To draw much-needed attention to this issue, on 9 July, Alzheimer’s Society held a photo exhibition in parliament, titled “Dementia Care: The Crisis Behind Closed Doors”. The exhibition featured 12 families affected by dementia, all of whom have struggled to access affordable, good quality care. Their stories mirror what Alzheimer’s Society hears every day, when they are contacted by people with dementia and their families struggling to navigate the social care system, and get the care they need. Too many people experience stress and anguish fighting for the appropriate support.
120 Members of Parliament (MPs) from across all the main political parties attended, and were reminded of the human cost of England’s prolonged social care crisis. Eight of the families featured in the exhibition attended the event, and spoke to MPs in more detail about their experiences. The photo exhibition was a creative way for Alzheimer’s Society to ensure that addressing the injustice faced by people living with dementia is a priority for the new government. After walking through the exhibition, MPs were invited to sign a letter to the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, asking him to address the issue of dementia care by including a Dementia Fund in this year’s Spending Review. 96 MPs signed the letter, indicating that there is cross-party support for action on dementia care.
Alzheimer’s Society has now launched a public letter to the Prime Minister, echoing the call for him to take decisive action on dementia in the Spending Review this autumn. They are making sure, through work both inside and outside of parliament, that dementia care is an issue which can’t be ignored any longer. Read more about the Alzheimer’s Society’s dementia care campaign: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/fix-dementia-care
