“Care and support must be guaranteed for all those with dementia”

At Alzheimer Scotland, it is our mission to make sure that nobody faces dementia alone.

Dementia is caused by disease processes such as Alzheimer’s disease and is a progressive and life limiting condition which, over time, affects every aspect of daily life.

A diagnosis of dementia is life-changing not only for the individual but for their family. It is Alzheimer Scotland’s view that every person diagnosed with dementia has the right to receive the proper care, treatment and support which responds to the changing, often complex, symptoms and needs as the illness progresses.

However, too often we hear from people living with dementia and those who care for them that they are left alone to deal with the changing and increased levels of need dementia brings, with often limited or no help.

While illnesses such as cancer, chest, heart and stroke all have clear pathways mapping out exactly how a person will be treated and cared for at every stage – dementia has no such pathway in place. There is often no offer of regular care reviews or annual check-ups with health professionals.

Right now, in some of the most extreme funding cuts ever seen, vital health and social care services supporting tens of thousands of people living with dementia, their families and carers are being forced to reduce the support they can offer, or in many cases close completely.

In a desperate bid to plug predicted budget gaps, Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) across Scotland are having to find millions of pounds of savings. Much of those savings are being planned by cutting funding from their older people and community care budgets, where the mainstay of community support and dementia-specific services can be found.

These cuts are both unacceptable and short sighted. They will inevitably lead to more people experiencing avoidable crises, increased levels of need, and growing demand on an already overstretched health care system through avoidable and more expensive hospital admissions.

Scotland is sleepwalking into a dementia care crisis.

It is these issues that inspired Alzheimer Scotland to launch a new national campaign to ‘Stop the Cuts’ to community dementia care funding. In a matter of weeks more than 12,000 people have signed our petition in support of the campaign.

We have also been inundated with messages of support and high levels of engagement on our social media posts, helped by support from our CCPS partners.

The campaign calls for the introduction of a guaranteed national pathway where evidence-based interventions are offered to everyone with a dementia diagnosis throughout the progression of their condition – every time, everywhere throughout Scotland.

It is estimated that around 90,000 people in Scotland are living with dementia, and this number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. As the population ages, the demand for dementia services will inevitably increase, making it essential that we have robust systems in place to support those in need.

It is not right that dementia care is left to a postcode lottery.

We have written to all MSPs, MPs and council leaders across the country, as well as to ministers and local government body COSLA calling for urgent action.

As we look ahead to the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026, we will continue our campaign to stop the cuts, protect dementia services, and build a national, consistent standard of care that ends the postcode lottery for good.

To find out more about Stop the Cuts and to sign our petition visit https://www.alzscot.org/StopTheCuts/