Sir, – It is a pity that the welcome increase in lifespan continues to be dogged by negative attitudes to ageing and our existential vulnerability. Far from the incidence of dementia increasing, as suggested by Dr Tom O'Rourke on your Letters page(February 28th), there is consistent evidence that the incidence is dropping in the developing world. Allied with the increase in the numbers of older people, this is likely to mean a steady state in the numbers affected.
As the current ambassadors for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland attest, life can be as meaningful and worthwhile as with any other chronic condition, and studies of quality of life for those of living with dementia are reassuring.
This is not to neglect the pain and suffering to the person and those around them, in which a key factor is the under-developed nature of support services and the glacial pace of implementation of the National Dementia Strategy.
We need to develop a positive attitude to dementia, focussing on prevention and treatment to the greatest extent possible, but never forgetting, as with all chronic disease, that stigma and negativity can undermine the quality of life of those affected. – Yours, etc,
Prof DESMOND O’NEILL,
Department of Medical
Gerontology,
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.