Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
John Spellar
Main Page: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)Department Debates - View all John Spellar's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(8 years ago)
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Jim Shannon
The hon. Lady speaks with knowledge. I thank her for that contribution.
There are ten key indicators of the quality of life of people with dementia: communication difficulties; relationships; environment and surroundings; physical health; a sense of humour; independence; a sense of personal identity; the ability to engage in activities and the opportunity to do so; difficulties with eating, drinking and swallowing; and, of course, their experience of stigma. All of those things are important.
Mr John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate. As he draws these strands together, there is one problem that we should focus on. Local authorities have many statutory responsibilities, but as a result of the significant cuts to their budgets, these areas—they are not statutory responsibilities but, as a number of colleagues identified, they play a huge role in enabling people to manage their condition, stay active for longer and provide respite for their carers—are being cut back, which will ultimately have a long-term cost for the health service.