PM's dementia support plans

Lynda Bellingham told ITV News of the importance of early diagnosis in dementia care; "this can help enormously in the diagnosis of dementia and how you treat it - and then family, loved ones, relations can prepare for it and can in fact learn to understand it and not be embarrassed."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that the volunteers at the Olympics provided an inspiration for the Dementia Friends initiative.

He said; "we're trying to harness that to tackle this big challenge we have. There's so much we can do [to help those with dementia]"

David Cameron has hailed the new 'Dementia Friends' initiative, telling ITV This Morning that more needs to be done on care for those with dementia as well as diagnosis:

A woman whose late father suffered from dementia has said she had to wait for five years before doctors told the family he had the illness.

Catherine Harrison told Daybreak: "If we had known he could have lived a life much more fully prior to his deterioration."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told Daybreak that, "we can do so much to reduce the strain and stress of suffering from dementia if we get the message out."

• The term 'dementia' describes several symptoms which include loss of memory, mood changes and problems with communicating.
• Dementia occurs when the brain is damaged by certain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and damage caused by a series of small strokes.

• Dementia is progressive and the symptoms gradually get worse. The progression depends on the individual person and what type of dementia they have.

• Dementia affects 800,000 people in the UK and it mainly affects people over the age of 65.
• However, it can affect younger people as there are over 17,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 who have dementia.

The Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK has commented on the Government's new support plans:

The Government's new support plans for dementia sufferers could help as many as 800,000 people who are affected by the condition in the UK.

Prime Minister David Cameron also announced that the Government will be giving almost £10 million for dementia research and £50 million to make wards and care homes more comfortable for people with dementia.

He also announced other initiatives to boost early diagnosis and help the public to better understand the condition.

Prime Minister David Cameron has outlined plans for a million members of the public to provide support for dementia sufferers.

In a statement, the Conservative leader said: