OVERVIEW

There is no doubt that the UK has an ever-increasing elderly population and it is estimated that the number of people aged over 85 will double in the next two decades.

100 years ago the onset of old age often signalled a slow and progressive decline into poor health, with most people dying before mental impairment could take hold. Today, with the wonders of innovative healthcare and the increasingly 'bionic' era, the quality of geriatric wellbeing is very different.

Knee and hip replacements keep you walking – even running! Lens replacements keep you seeing and electronic devices keep your heart beating. But what of matters of the mind? What are the options when mental capacity starts to deteriorate? This is where the challenge lies.

To reword an old adage, in the case of dementia, 'the body is willing but the mind is weak'.

Advances in medical research, cutting-edge treatments and improvements in care have all played a major part in increasing life expectancy; however, the positive impact on physical health can be severely undermined by the progressive and incurable causes of dementia.

There are currently 800,000 sufferers of dementia in the UK, costing society over £23bn per annum, twice the cost of cancer. With a prediction of over a million sufferers by 2021, there is no denying the extent of the problem and the need for committed focus in tackling the issues. David Cameron has warned that "the dementia crisis facing the country is on a par with high rates of HIV and cancer in previous decades".

A recent report by the Alzheimer's Society – Dementia 2012: a national challenge – reveals that despite efforts to improve the quality of life for both sufferers and their carers, people today are not living well with dementia. Obtaining diagnosis and the relevant support from health and social care agencies is a particularly difficult area. Widespread misunderstanding and stigma about the condition is prevalent, not only amongst the greater general public but also amongst professionals; therefore, the report recommends working in partnership and developing dementia-friendly communities is the way forward to improving quality of life.

The government has recognised that poor diagnosis along with low levels of understanding and awareness of dementia has contributed to a national crisis. In March David Cameron announced a doubling of funding for dementia research to over £66m pa by 2015. Work is to be undertaken to: improve early diagnosis, give financial incentives to hospitals for delivering quality dementia care, introduce screening into the NHS Health Check programme and develop a dementia care and support compact that will not only focus on quality care but also quality of life.

David Cameron has made this not just a national priority but a personal one as well. He states: "Dementia is simply a terrible disease. And it is a scandal that we as a country haven't kept pace with it…we've got to treat this like the national crisis it is. We need an all-out fight-back against this disease: one that cuts across society."

At Dementia – a national crisis an array of expert speakers will outline the challenges faced in combating this spiralling condition and how better outcomes can be achieved. This is an event for anyone involved with or affected by dementia who wishes to hear all the latest developments. Delegates will have the opportunity to listen, digest, debate and then reflect on the information that can make a difference to their professional or personal situations.