Suchet’s experience will be recognised by many...

Alzheimer Scotland commends John Suchet’s brave decision to speak publicly about his wife’s dementia and the difficult experiences he has faced as her primary carer. His feelings of fear, frustration and denial will be recognised by many carers, who will empathise with his desire to talk through those experiences with someone who understands.

Information, support and emotional understanding

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, says, “We aim to make sure that no-one goes through the experience of dementia alone. Our Dementia Helpline receives thousands of calls each year that echo John Suchet’s story: carers need information, support and emotional understanding. However, the provision of support for people with dementia and their carers is by no means uniform throughout Scotland: there must be improvements across the board in order to truly meet current demand and the needs of those who will be affected by dementia in the future.”

“Alzheimer Scotland wants to make sure that everyone affected by dementia has access to someone who can offer information, understanding and face-to-face support in their local area as they go through the journey; not just when crisis situations occur and natural family supports can no longer cope. Receiving an early diagnosis of dementia is only useful if it opens the door to a proactive pathway of support that will help people cope and live well with dementia. Although dementia is a government priority, this has not yet translated into an increase in service provision and support. The gulf between policy and practice is too wide: too many people are being forced to wait for support because their needs do not meet certain thresholds. This inevitably leads to an ongoing crisis response and prevents people with dementia and their carers accessing small but key sources of support and information as early as possible. John Suchet’s announcement demonstrates how important this support is and highlights a postcode lottery of support in England which is often mirrored in Scotland.”

Far too few choices

“The support which is provided is frequently too little, too late for many carers and people with dementia, who are faced with far too few choices on how best to use available funding and how to make provision for their evolving needs as the illness progresses. The Scottish Government is attempting to tackle these problems and encouraging initiatives are already underway. However, even in this economic downturn, an extra £150 million pounds has been made available in England. Two years ago we stated a need for at least an extra £15 million to be spent in Scotland: as yet, we are not even close to that figure.”

"Until we achieve this, we want to make sure that nobody feels that they have to cope with dementia on their own. We would urge anyone who is having difficulties with dementia: be it a person with the illness, a carer or someone who is concerned about a friend or loved-one, to contact our 24 hour freephone Dementia Helpline on 0808 808 3000. “