Press Release

King's Fund Report A 'Call To Arms'

29 May 2008

Help the Aged has today responded to a report from think-tank King's Fund which found that the cost of caring for people with mental illness is expected to rise from £22.5 billion to £47 billion by 2026. *

The year-long study, called Paying the Price, said that although prevalence of most mental disorders is likely to remain stable over the next 20 years, the increasingly ageing population means dementia is expected to rise massively over the same period, up by almost two-thirds. *

 David Sinclair, Head of Policy at Help the Aged, said:

"Today's report must act as an urgent call-to-arms. We desperately need to see greater investment into the research and treatment of dementia.

"Unless we get to grips with this condition, we will face not only spiralling economic costs but also rising levels of unmet need.

"Dementia robs victims of their identities as memory, speech and understanding are lost. Help the Aged research shows that mental decline ranks as the UK's number one health concern associated with ageing.

"It's vital that the Government take action to ensure people living with dementia get the support they need, and are enabled to live as independently as possible.

"This is a lethal degenerative condition and we should be tackling it from the start. People with dementia deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, throughout the course of the disease.

“Help the Aged is determined to combat this problem and is funding one of the world’s most exciting and unique scientific studies into mental decline, called The Disconnected Mind.  Lack of funding from elsewhere means we need donations from the public to fund this research, which is one of the best single hopes for medical or lifestyle solutions to mental decline.” **
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* More information on Paying the Price can be found at: http://www.kingsfund.org.uk

**  For more information and donations to The Disconnected Mind  project,  can  please go to:  www.disconnectedmind.org.uk, or  call  020 7239 1982 or  email  disconnectedmind@helptheaged.org.uk