Welsh farm families disproportionately hit by dementia

Farming families are suffering disproportionately from dementia in Wales, with a large number of cases and poor access to care.

The Alzheimer’s Society calculates there are at least 17,000 people living with the disease in rural areas – more than a third of all cases in Wales – and with this comes challenges as access to support services is likely to be more difficult.

Eileen Davies, the Church in Wales rural life adviser for the Diocese of St David’s, said this burden is impacting on farming businesses and communities.

See also: Farming Community Network can help farming families

Eileen Davies

Rev Davies, a dairy farmer, has first-hand experience of looking after people with dementia as she cares for her parents-in-law, who are farmers and both have the disease.

“There are many farmers who are trying to run farms and care for one parent or both who have dementia,” she said.

“It is 24/7, they can’t leave them for any length of time as they are likely to wander off.

“The phrase we always hear is that ‘we cope’, but their health is suffering and so is their business.

“Farmers live in isolated areas and they don’t know about the support network that is out there for them.”

The Alzheimer’s Society makes six recommendations (see ‘Alzheimer’s Society’s six recommendations’, below), including calling on the Welsh government to invest in research to understand the problem.

“Research is desperately needed to ascertain the extent of the problem to enable us to plan and deliver effective information, support and care services that are accessible and responsive to need,” said Sue Phelps, director of Alzheimer’s Society in Wales.