Ruth Langsford Urges Faster Dementia Diagnoses as Patients Wait 3.5 Years on Average
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 24
Ruth Langsford Urges Faster Dementia Diagnoses as Patients Wait 3.5 Years on Average
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 24
Ruth Langsford said quicker dementia diagnoses are needed so patients and families can access care and support sooner, drawing on her experience with her 94-year-old mother Joan and her late father Dennis.
On BBC Radio Surrey, Langsford said diagnosis is the hardest part because families cannot begin to understand and manage the condition until they know what they are dealing with.
Alzheimer's Society data cited by Langsford showed people with dementia wait an average of three and a half years between first symptoms and a diagnosis.
Michelle Dyson, the charity's chief executive, said UK dementia care is trapped in "delay, denial and neglect," with missed symptoms, late diagnoses and support often arriving too late.
Why is a 3.5-year dementia diagnosis wait tolerated when a similar cancer delay would spark outrage?
As diagnoses speed up, is the UK's healthcare system prepared to provide the crucial support that must follow?
With blood tests set to revolutionize detection, will the UK's dementia diagnosis crisis finally be solved?