YORK is bracing itself for a huge increase in people suffering from dementia, a charity has claimed.

The Selby and York branch of the Alzheimer's Society hopes to rally support for the charity's major Day Of Action by urging residents to lobby local MPs.

An estimated 3,000 people in York already suffer from the disease and Alzheimer's Society claims that this number will soar due to York's increasingly elderly population.

The campaign day on June 20 aims to highlight the system which sees thousands of dementia sufferers and their carers charged for essential care they need as a result of the devastating medical condition.

The charity says the system penalises people with dementia more than those with other conditions because much of their care is "social care" - help with washing, eating and using the toilet - and is means tested.

The Society also wants any new system to improve the quality of care.

Gill Myers, branch manager, is urging residents to support the protest by writing to their local MPs.

The local branch has 200 members and is in touch with around 400 families.

Gill said: "York has got a bigger than average percentage of people in the risk age group."

Dementia affects one-in-20 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80.

The Alzheimer's Society says one-in-three older people will end their life with dementia.

The protest day will coincide with an Alzheimer's Society report on the impact of paying for care which aims to influence a Government Green consultation Paper on Adult Social Care Funding, due in October.

Gill said: "I think MPs are all about the numbers game. If they get a lot of letters from constituents it makes them realise this issue is something very close to people's hearts.

"Any type of care is a huge concern for people, whether dementia is involved or not.

"Older people worry about what will happen if they become more infirm, about who is going to pay."

She added: "There are so many inequalities in the present system. Some of the charges for home care are means tested. People can end up with big home care bills, often over £100 a week in some cases."

She said there were also concerns about the inconsistencies in quality of care available with some homes much better than others, and disparities in the quality of different home care packages.

Contact the Selby and York branch for a template letter which can be sent to MPs on 01904 658106.

* For information and advice on dementia phone the Alzheimer's Society on 0845 300 0336.


Alzheimer's is such a cruel disease'

"So many people know someone with dementia. It is such a cruel disease on the person who has it and on the family. It really touches people."

Anne Walker is speaking from personal experience - her mother Betty Ratcliffe has had Alzheimer's for about 20 years, after showing early symptoms in her 50s.

Her illness is so far advanced that she no longer recognises her own children, and she is now in a nursing home.

Anne, of Newton-Upon-Derwent, and her sister Lynn Cunningham, 54, of Halifax, are gearing up to do a gruelling five-day trek in August, in her honour along the Great Wall of China for the Alzheimer's Society. The 56-year-old who runs an accountancy business with her husband, Graham, has already raised £8,500 for the charity.

"The more money the Alzheimer's Society gets to do research the better. I don't think anything could be done for my mum now, but there are young people who could be helped."

"My mum is in a home and has been for quite some time," she explained.

"She was in her early 50s when she started showing signs, and she is 75 now. It has been with us for a long time. It is gradual. You don't notice it straight away.

"We just thought she was being forgetful with it started. But when she stood in front of the microwave crying because she couldn't remember how it worked, that's when all the little things added up."

Anne's fund-raising has included a wagon pull, ballroom dances, a murder mystery party and fishing matches.

She said her training would now start in earnest following months of fundraising.

"The fundraising has been brilliant. I have £8,500. I was aiming for £4,500. Everyone has been really supportive."

To sponsor Anne donations can be made at www.justgiving.co.uk/annewalker2