Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not recycle any of the contributions made by other Members. I commend the Minister of State on the speed with which this strategy was put together and commend her, the Department, those who worked with her and the various shareholders on confronting this condition. I find the critique of the Minister of State's announcement today rather begrudging as until now there has been nothing of the measure of this strategy, which was promised in the programme for Government. This is an important day for individuals affected by dementia. We are all aware of the ongoing effect of dementia on families.

The Minister of State mentioned that the stigma attached to dementia is a serious problem in this country. It is good she has highlighted this. We must overcome this stigma, because dementia is not a condition that is going to disappear. People are living longer and we now have a larger population of older people. This trend will continue and a greater part of the older population will suffer from this condition. Dementia does not affect all people the same way and can be more extreme for some.

This is an historic day. The strategy is now in place, but implementation is another issue. We all wish we were in a different place in terms of financial resources, but it is important to make a start on the journey to provide the best quality of life to the greatest number of people afflicted by this condition. I commend the Minister of State and those around her who have brought us to this stage today. As financial resources become more available, I hope we will see speedier implementation of this strategy.

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