Dementia In Northern Ireland Set To Double

New funding is being provided for medical research after Alzheimer’s experts expect the number of people with dementia in Northern Ireland alone to double within a generation.

While 16,000 people in Northern Ireland currently suffer from dementia, the Alzheimer’s Research Trust claims that 20,500 people in the province will suffer from dementia by 2017, rising to 47,000 by 2051.

These figures have been published as a new partnership between the ART Network, Queen’s University and the University of Ulster is launched.

The joint effort is providing funding of £95,000 for 15 UK researchers to test dementia treatments over four-and-a-half years.

Dr Janet Johnston, from the Queen’s division of psychiatry and neuroscience, commented: “I welcome this Network as a very positive development for research into Alzheimer’s disease in Northern Ireland. It will help foster links between local researchers, those in the UK and other international counterparts.”

Dr Christian Holscher, senior lecturer in neurosciences at the University of Ulster, added: “Considering the changing age profile of the population and the important position of Alzheimer’s disease within health care policy, this Network offers an excellent strategic position to amalgamate research, attract new funding and develop a cluster of excellence in the very important area of Alzheimer’s research.”