Claire Gaffey, from Swansea, is the face of this year’s Memory Walk TV ad. Claire, 44, was delighted to be picked to front the charity’s biggest annual fundraising event and is excited for Memory Walk to return to her home city on Saturday 13 October. Claire said “I was over the moon – filming the ad was great fun. It really made me feel that I could do my little bit.” She was skiing in the Alps when she heard…

Dementia now affects 850,000 people in the UK alone – and that number is set to rise. It’s no secret that it’s our society’s most feared health condition and, with an ageing population and no cure, dementia will undoubtedly touch all of our lives at some point. I have witnessed how devastating dementia can be first-hand and am acutely aware that something needs to be done to fight the condition. That’s why, ahead of Dementia Awareness Week (15-21 May), I’m…

After you or a loved one have been diagnosed with dementia, it is important to plan ahead to ensure the sufferer is taken care of in the best possible way. It can be an emotional process – nobody likes to imagine a partner, family member or least of all yourself going through it – but advance care planning guarantees someone with dementia is properly looked after in the years to come. One particularly important way you can plan ahead, which…

Dementia Awareness Week, Alzheimer’s Society’s annual flagship awareness-raising campaign, is taking place from 15-21 May. This year’s campaign is about encouraging people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to confront dementia head on. Alzheimer’s Society wants people to know that if they are worried about dementia they can do something about it and come to us for help and support. We want to tackle the many myths and misunderstandings about dementia – and show people that life doesn’t end when…

On Thursday the 2nd of April, Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford unveiled a plan to recruit new primary care support workers to help people diagnosed with dementia as part of a new Welsh Government drive to tackle the condition. Mark Drakeford also said he wants health boards to work towards a 50% diagnosis rate by 2016. The policies are part of the Welsh Government’s ambition to make Wales a dementia-friendly nation. Alzheimer’s Society comment: ‘There are currently 45,000 people…