Mr. Gerry Martin:

The social and economic implications are massive. The numbers are massive and I daresay there is no one in this room who has not been affected by dementia, whether directly or indirectly, in his or her family. I am certain there is nobody in Ireland who will not be directly affected by this over the next ten, 15 or 20 years. It is a massive bubble coming down the track. No health system could ever deal with these sorts of numbers. Therefore, the only way to deal with the issue is based around the community and the home. This is where the majority of care must be based, because no health system could possibly afford it.

Dr. Suzanne Cahill's research in 2012 estimates that dementia already costs the economy €1.69 billion. Obviously, that is based on current numbers. The health systems huge and residential settings will not be able to deal with the issue and that is the reason for our campaign for early intervention. Age is the only known factor currently. Significant research is taking place worldwide, but the increasing demographic is the only known factor. Research is happening across the world and in Ireland. There is no cure for dementia. Medication has an effect, but only a limited effect. There may be preventative campaigns in which we could engage, mainly around cardiovascular fitness, which appear might have a preventative effect. The numbers are rising in any event, and we believe, therefore, that the only significant solution is to get in early, get it recognised and establish a programme of early intervention. While I do not wish to add to the gloom, we are behind the curve in Ireland and do not have a strategy. We are behind the curve in terms of other European countries, but we probably have a bigger issue in terms of the demographic and in terms of our younger population.