6. How does the Welsh Government plan to raise awareness about dementia in Wales? OAQ(5)0633(FM)

We’re already running annual campaigns about how individuals can reduce their risk of developing dementia. The dementia strategic action plan, due to be published in the autumn, will set out our further plans to raise awareness about dementia in Wales.

Diolch, First Minister. There are an estimated 45,000 people in Wales living with dementia. If the current trend continues, the number of people living with the disease will increase by over 40 per cent over the next 12 years. Raising awareness and understanding the disease is crucial. I was proud to present South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s Newport stations with their Dementia Friends logo, and I’m particularly pleased that St Joseph’s high school in my constituency has become the first dementia-friendly secondary school in Wales. Will you join with me in congratulating both St Joseph’s school and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and look at how the Welsh Government can work closely with others to promote this free training, particularly amongst our young people?

I do very much welcome the example that’s been given there. We do work with other organisations, of course, such as the Alzheimer’s Society and others, to maintain the momentum of the Dementia Friends and the Dementia Supportive Communities campaigns so that more and more people understand what it’s like to live with dementia, as well as being able to recognise its symptoms. That means, of course, making sure that we do look at how we can make more buildings and environments dementia friendly, to enable people to live as normal a life as they can for as long as they can.

First Minister, a year-long study by the Seale-Hayne Educational Trust and the Farming Community Network has noted a number of concerns about the impact of dementia in rural areas that we need to tackle, including a lack of awareness of the support available in rural areas, as well as the difficulty in accessing support services. So, in light of those concerns, what additional work is the Welsh Government doing to raise awareness of the support available for those living in more rural, isolated communities, and can you also tell us one specific measure that your Government has put in place over the last 12 months to assist people in rural communities who have dementia?

We of course consider any new report that shows how we can improve the services in rural areas. But, across Wales, of course, we’ve funded an information pack with regard to living with dementia, and that has been welcomed by the professionals working in the field, people suffering with dementia and their families and carers. And, of course, there is a helpline available on a daily basis—it’s available 24/7 throughout the year, and it can give emotional support to those who have been diagnosed with dementia and those who care for them. Those are some of the ways in which we've ensured that the support is available, not only for the sufferers, but for their carers, too.