Alzheimer’s Society is calling on the Welsh Government to set a vision for the future that people living with dementia need to see, as it welcomes the reaffirmed commitment to developing a Dementia Strategy for Wales, due for publication early 2027.
Dementia: Wales's biggest killer
Dementia devastates lives – it's Wales's biggest killer and the health and social care challenge of our time. Thousands of people in Wales are currently facing the devastating realities of dementia without a diagnosis, access to vital support and treatment, or social care that meets their needs.
Gemma Roberts, National Influencing Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This is a huge opportunity to transform the lives of people affected by dementia in Wales.” She added that the strategy must be guided by a bold ambition for the future, not just incremental improvements to the system.
Rising numbers and costs
In Wales, 51,000 people live with dementia, with this set to rise by 37% to 70,000 by 2040. Dementia costs the Welsh economy £2.3 billion annually, with this set to double to £4.6 billion by 2040.
People living with dementia routinely face prolonged delays to diagnosis followed by gaps and stark inequalities in treatment and support. Delays of this scale have quietly become routine for dementia but would not be accepted for other conditions, like cancer or heart disease.
Opportunities ahead
Dementia diagnosis, treatment and research are advancing at a pace unimaginable a decade ago, and over the next ten years, scientific breakthroughs have the potential to radically improve outcomes. Wales’s new strategy must be designed not just for the challenges faced today, but for the opportunities of the future.
Earlier this month, Delyth Jewell, the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health, said that a new Dementia Strategy for Wales will set out actions to tackle key priorities including brain health, earlier diagnosis and improving support.
Cross-party support
Crucially, there is cross-party support for an ambitious new Dementia Strategy in Wales. During the Senedd election campaign, all the political parties currently represented in the Senedd made commitments to tackle dementia in their manifestos, creating a clear mandate to drive forward rapid progress.
The decisions made over the next six months will shape the lives of tens of thousands of people impacted by dementia now, and for decades to come. Now is the time for the new Welsh Government to get this right.
