Dementia training: another Gimmick from Gordon?

So the government is going to train every GP in the early recognition of dementia! 

"There is no denying that the increase in Alzheimer's disease is a major problem for individuals, for families and for society as a whole," said Dr Charles West, local Liberal Democrat campaigner. "Unfortunately it is not as easy as simply training GPs to recognise the symptoms and telling them to refer to a specialist. Not all lapses of memory are dementia and not all dementia is Alzheimer's disease. There are no drugs recommended for mild or early dementia, there are too few specialists, and too few memory clinics. If as the government minister says every GP is trained to recognise the symptoms of early dementia and refer to a specialist, then the service will be choked with referrals, and most of the patients referred will have no treatment offered to them.

What we need is more research into drug treatments, and more investment into support services. There is much that skilled nurses and psychologists can offer to patients and families with moderate dementia, and that is where we should concentrate our attention."

Charles West