MP backs drive to ‘care for the carers’

MP Debbie Abrahams is the co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia (APPG)

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP, Debbie Abrahams, is backing calls from Alzheimer’s Society to improve the support available for carers of people living with dementia, especially in terms of respite breaks.

Debbie, who is the co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia (APPG), said: “Carers often find providing care for a loved one living with dementia to be very rewarding. But they can also experience a range of difficult emotions and their own mental and physical health can be affected.

“So we need to ensue that we care for the carers, and provide effective support for them too, as about 40% of them are diagnosed with depression or anxiety.

“Carers are entitled to a carer’s assessment but the system can be difficult to navigate, and add to that the complexity of caring for someone with dementia and the task becomes even harder for them.

“This Alzheimer’s Society report, called the Fog of Support, shows that there is a lack of dementia-appropriate services available for carers to access. The main reason for this is that the systems used to collate the data nationally, in regards to carers and their needs, just isn’t good enough.

“Based on these findings it’s clear that for local authorities to deliver effective support, they need sufficient funding and quality data which, Alzheimer’s Society say, national government must deliver. 

“As co-chair of the APPG on Dementia I will be keeping the pressure up on the Government to provide the funding required to tackle what is one of the most pressing health issues of our age.”

Read the Fog of Support report here: https://bit.ly/2Ze3DI6

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