Alzheimer's Society calls for 12 week target for Dementia Diagnosis
They say not getting the diagnosis patients need is them and their families in the dark
Families affected by dementia in Wales are being left waiting months – sometimes years – to waiting for a diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s Society is calling for everyone to receive a dementia diagnosis within 12 weeks.
New research from the charity found more than a third of carers supporting someone with a formal diagnosis said the wait had made it harder to plan for the future, while 32% reported sleepless nights and 30% said they had felt as though their life was on hold.
Racheal Nelson from Alzheimer’s Society said: “Those delays are having a huge emotional, practical and financial impact on families who are already dealing with uncertainty and worry”.
The charity says the impact can stretch into people’s working lives, with almost half of carers saying the wait had affected their work.
Racheal Nelson said: “It affects the people living with dementia, it affects the carers and it affects family members”.
She added: “When we think about some of the other major conditions like cancer, there are very clear pathways of support. They have timelines, they have treatments, they have care plans”.
The charity says stigma around dementia and long waits through primary and secondary care can also prevent people getting answers.
With around 50,000 people living with dementia in Wales, Alzheimer’s Society wants the Welsh Government to turn its 12-week ambition into action, backed by “clear accountability”, so families get the diagnosis, support and treatment they need.
Alzheimer's disease is a physical illness which damages a person's brain. This eventually causes dementia, affecting memory and thinking. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.