ALTON Alzheimer’s ambassador Terry Eccott joined Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes for an interview on ITV News to launch National Dementia Awareness Week.

There are 850,000 people with some form of dementia living in the UK, with 40,000 under the age of 65. It is estimated that more than a million will be living with the disease by 2025.

More than half the people who have dementia have put off seeking being diagnosed fearing their life was over.

In the interview, conducted by ITV presenter Nina Hossain, Mr Hughes said: “Dementia has overtaken cancer as the health condition people are most afraid of. You can live quite well with dementia, it is not a death sentence. With the support of the Alzheimer’s Society, you can live a good and fulfilled life, and we need to get over that fear and that stigma that still exists that dementia is the end of life.”

Having been diagnosed three years ago with stage one vascular dementia, Terry Eccott has focussed considerable energy and experience on helping others understand the condition and to find ways to support those living with dementia.

The Alton campaigner told his TV audience: “I have done talks around the country, as well as at Devon House, the Alzheimer’s Society head office, as my life has turned into a campaign really. Of course, not everyone can go out and do what I am doing, as I am lucky and I am used to public speaking, but it is not an end-of-life situation to be diagnosed, you can still go and do things and find coping strategies to help and you can still continue a happy, useful and productive life for quite some time.”

Dementia Awareness Week, which ran from May 15-21, coincided with the launch of a study by the Alzheimer’s Society which revealed that more than half of the people in the South East (55%) are putting off seeking a dementia diagnosis for up to a year or more, and that dementia is the most feared health condition in the UK, perhaps explaining also why almost two-thirds of people in the South East (62%) surveyed felt a diagnosis would mean their life was over.

The study calls on people to confront dementia head on, be aware that they can do something about it, and come to the charity for help and support.

Some 225,000 people in the UK will develop dementia this year – that’s one person every three minutes. Unfortunately, a lack of diagnosis is denying many of these people the chance of getting the best possible treatment, information and support.

According to the study, evidence shows the earlier you receive these, the better your chance of living well for longer. It also means that thousands of people are not being enabled to plan for the future while they still have capacity to make important decisions.

The YouGov research also reveals that there are still many myths that exist about dementia, which might put people off seeking a diagnosis – almost half of people in the South East (48%) thought they would have to immediately stop driving a car.

Other common myths revealed in the research include that more than one-in-three people in the South East (38%) say they would put off seeking medical attention from a GP about memory problems because they think dementia is just “a part of the ageing process”.

Mr Hughes said: “We want everyone to know that the Alzheimer’s Society is here for anyone affected by the condition and there are lots of ways we can help you. It’s time for everyone to confront dementia head on.”

The Alzheimer’s Society provides services to support people affected by dementia. For more details, call the national dementia helpline on 0300 222 1122 or visit alzheimers.org.uk.