Together Gibraltar Urges Greater Action to Support Dementia Patients

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day. The theme this year is ‘Lets Talk On Dementia’. This means that we need to increase dementia awareness and dementia education across all sectors of society, because it is vital to learn how to live and interact with people living with dementia in a way that doesn’t make them feel scared, ignored or isolated, but instead engaged, valued and cherished. 

On this significant day, Together Gibraltar would like to remind Government of its recent commitments to improve dementia care, and send a message to the community at large to get involved in tackling this growing problem. According to available data, the number of Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers doubles roughly every two decades. At present and due to Covid-19 control measures, these patients and their families are facing the enormous challenge to maintain adequate treatment and ensure the quality of life of these patients in the face of great restrictions.

Party Leader Marlene Hassan Nahon said: “For me personally Alzheimer’s and Dementia is a cause which is very close to my heart, and I appeal to everyone to learn more about the condition and how best to interact with people living with dementia, especially in view of the reality that as we live longer, we are seeing cases multiplying at an exponential rate.”

Unfortunately, the Government's pledge to improve the service provided to dementia sufferers has not yet translated into tangible measures, while many of these patients deteriorate rapidly.

The party would also like to call out to society at large to learn and get involved in this societal change, become "Dementia Friends" and make Gibraltar a "Dementia friendly community".