Time for action on dementia
Star comment: We can judge a society by how it treats its elderly. On that basis Britain fails rather miserably.
Often our elderly are not given the respect they deserve by younger people. They are treated poorly in hospitals on far too many occasions.
Across England, fewer than half of people suffering from this dreadful condition are formally recognised by their doctors.
This means they are unable to access the treatment they need that would give them a better quality of life.
Advances in medical science mean that more and more people can look forward to living far longer than our parents or grandparents.
But with this blessing comes the curse of dementia, the loss of mental faculties and the memories it has taken a lifetime to collect.
The true scandal is that it does not need to be as bad as this because diagnosis and treatment can make an enormous difference.
Once again, though, it all comes down to a postcode lottery based on where people live.
It is utterly unacceptable to treat the elderly, who have worked hard and earned the right to retire in comfort in what is still one of the richest countries in the world, as second class citizens and to condemn them to this truly horrible disease.
How much longer will this go on before David Cameron delivers what he promises with the National Health Service?
He claims it is safe in the Coalition Government's hands.
If he wants to win the General Election in 2015, with a majority for the Tory Party, he needs to improve dramatically.
His health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, calls dementia a "time bomb".
The clock is most certainly ticking.
