OVERVIEW

Following the Prime Minister's challenge launched in March 2012, there has never been a time of more public and political interest in dementia. Aiming to deliver major improvements in dementia care and research by 2015, there has been excellent progress, but there is still much to do. How can the momentum be maintained and built upon? How will the new suite of health ministers handle dementia, and how will policies around personalisation, integration and funding of care and support improve the lives of those living with dementia and their families?

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."

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.

With funding doubling to over £66m a year by 2015, what impact will future research have on treatment, best practice and quality of care? At a delicate phase in clinical development for potential treatments for dementia, research must clearly be focused on finding which types of care and support are the most effective. Launched in July 2012, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia report 'Unlocking Diagnosis' set out action that can be taken to increase the number of people with dementia with a diagnosis in the UK. But has anything changed yet?

Delegates at the Dementia Series will receive an update on the Prime Minister's challenge, put into context by talks from people living with dementia and their carers. Understanding the needs and aspirations of people with dementia and their families is absolutely vital in responding to the challenge. The Series aims to support the campaign to develop a high level of public awareness and understanding so that people with dementia and their carers are encouraged to seek help and are supported by their community.

Set in four locations across the UK, these high-profile conferences will also feature an array of expert speakers who will outline the challenges faced in combating this spiralling condition and how better outcomes can be achieved.