Politicians and Dementia

I have been involved in many government plans for Dementia, and I confess, that I have little or no confidence in what they do. To me its all down to them looking good, without doing very much.



In one notable occasion, the launch of the National Dementia Strategy. After the launch, I asked the minister who was there, about the amount of NEW MONEY, being put into the strategy.



He said NONE, as its already in the system, "and only needs to be better spent".



Yet they had publicly said that money would be available to get the Strategy off the ground, and at a meeting the other day people were genuinely asking if the strategy had actually done anything positive in the UK, when we see all of the sad cases of people with dementia being abused, in hospitals and care homes.



We should have had mandatory training for all care staff, whether the care home owners liked it or not.



We then saw councils like Durham, getting money to grit roads all courtesy of the National Health Service and the Strategy.



Why because the government did not and would not ring fence the money for the strategy, so can we ever believe anything they say about dementia.



That to me is something quite fundamental, if its not ring fenced, it can be used for anything within the Health Service and no one would ever know or question it.



Perhaps I am becoming cynical in my old age, but I cannot see this Tory Government being any better, simply because of the way they are treating the poorer classes in society.



They are hitting the disabled and the poor with what is called the bedroom tax, making sure that two people sleep in one bedroom, even though one of them many well be disabled or have dementia, and may well need to sleep in a  second bedroom.


This also allows carers to have a good nights sleep, because many of us with dementia do not sleep well at all, so this must have a knock on effect with our carers and loved ones.



While there may be people out there with bigger homes than they really need, I do feel that people with dementia etc, or the disabled, are being victimised by the Governement.



Yet the wealthy of which Mr Cameron is one, get away without paying their full tax, and in some cases it is known that many in this country get away without paying much tax at all, because they use off shore accounts.


If all of the wealthy paid their way in this country for once, we would have a fairer system, as more money could be put into the system.




These politicians simply don't understand what the poorer classes are going through in the first place, and in my own view are simply making them selves feel good, by having a Prime ministers challenge in things like dementia.




Many people in the UK these days are struggling to pay for their bills due to the big cartels who are putting the bills up every few months, without needing too, and the government is letting them do it.
Then we hear that politicians get their energy bills paid for, care of the government, something I cannot accept or understand. One last week was found to be getting his energy bills paid for when it was for his home and stables.



If Joe public did that he would end up in prison



It seems to be a class system all over again, and it will never change as long as millionaires  are elected to run this or any other country, because they are only filling their own pockets.



I admit to having voted conservative all my working life before the diagnosis of dementia, but I have never seen such a bad government in this country as the one we have today. I now know that like many other people, I will never vote for them again after this, as they claimed they were there for the people.



It leaves me wondering when the next new political party will emerge, and one that really cares for the values of the working and poorer classes, because in all honesty, all three parties in the UK are so similar, that too many people we have nothing but three Tory parties



If we must have reviews of health issues like dementia, then let us have the money ring fenced to stop it being used for the wrong reasons, and let it be all NEW MONEY, not what many are calling money laundering by governments, allowing them to carry on saying that its already in the system.

I was never political in any way, until I got involved with the governments of dementia issues, but now its really getting to me.



Perhaps that's just one of the changes that dementia brings with it, I don't know, or perhaps like may other people these days, I am starting to see things I don't like in all politicians, the same people who claim to be helping us, yet do and say what they want, thinking we are all stupid



The day we get a prime minister standing up and saying quite clearly, that his Government is putting  new money into good quality research in Dementia, and Dementia Services  rather than wasting it on things like HS2 etc, something which just is not needed, then I and many other people will be very happy.
  
I want nothing better than new money put into dementia and good safe guards to ensure that
that money is ring fenced for dementia only



Let us have all care home staff trained officially and properly, in looking after dementia patients, to stop the abuse



All nursing staff to be trained in dementia, as they are doing at Northumbria and other Universities
 
All Doctors to be given more training in dementia



The Government said this week, that its going to prosecute any one in care homes and hospitals, who abuse anyone with dementia etc, then put them in prison.
  
Lets be brutally honest, if we prsosecute those who abuse dementia patients, as have heard over the last few years, the time will come when it will all stop, but for the wrong reasons.

Not because its not happening, but because it will never get out into the press, because as we all know,  there will be a mass cover up.



Lets have good quality meaningful reviews, with safefguards and regulations which mean something, otherwise we will never change things for the best,

Its time to move Dementia forward with positive headlines which mean something, and not political feel good headlines.