Pre-Budget 2018: Cashel mother wants the Government to invest €40m in dementia community supports

Cashel’s Kathy Ryan (56) is calling on you to support the 55,000 people with dementia using your signature.

Mother to Andrew (22) and Matt (20), Kathy was diagnosed with early onset dementia three years ago.

She is supporting the Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s call on the Government to invest €40 million towards community supports for people with dementia, which has been outlined in the Pre-Budget Submission ‘Dementia Care Begins at Home – Building a Community of Care’.

Vice-chair of the Irish Dementia Working Group, Kathy features in the society’s latest video calling on the Government to invest in dementia advisers. Kathy chats to her dementia adviser Amy Murphy about the importance of having local supports and services. 

For every one person with dementia three others are directly affected and most people with dementia live at home (63%). The number of people with dementia will rise to 68,216 in the next 10 years.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland urges an investment of €2.31 million to roll out a dementia adviser service across Ireland. Currently there are only eight dementia advisers covering 13 counties.

You can sign the petition here.