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Alzheimer’s Research Trust
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The Alzheimer’s Research Trust (ART) is the UK’s leading research charity for dementia
We are funding world-class research to find ways to cure, prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
But what is dementia?
The word dementia is an umbrella term which describes a serious deterioration in mental functions, such as memory, language, orientation and judgement.
People often ask whether Alzheimer's and dementia are the same thing. The answer is both yes and no. Alzheimer's disease is one cause of dementia, but several other diseases can cause it too. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for around two thirds of cases in the elderly. Other diseases that cause dementia are vascular dementia which includes multi-infarct dementia and Binswanger's disease, Lewy Body disease, and fronto-temporal dementia which includes Pick's disease and primary progressive aphasia. It is not uncommon for people to have more than one form of dementia; for example, some people with vascular dementia also have Alzheimer's disease.
Senile dementia is a more precise term that specifically refers to dementia in people over 65. Dementia in people under this age is much rarer and is often referred to as early onset dementia.
For the 700,000 people in the UK who live with dementia – a number set to double within a generation – ART offers hope through research.
There is much exciting research taking place at the moment to improve diagnosis, reduce people’s risk of developing dementia, and develop new treatments. The Alzheimer’s Research Trust is investigating a number of areas including a possible vaccine for Alzheimer’s and investigations into the protective properties of fish oils.
However, we are scraping for every penny to accelerate this work and we need to quickly boost this effort to accelerate progress. ART still has to reject two out of every three grant applications from leading scientists.
Only £11 is spent on UK research into Alzheimer's for every person affected by the disease, compared with £289 for cancer patients.
A recent ART-commissioned London School of Economics report shows that the cost of providing long-term care to older people with dementia will increase to £16.7 billion by 2031.
This is unsustainable, unless there is a drastic increase in dementia research funding.
You can help by donating to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust
To Donate please click here! Thank You
Or, by writing to your MP about the underfunding of dementia research and asking him or her to sign EDM 1337
Please click here to write to your MP
You could also sign our petition to the Prime Minister
Click here to sign the petition online!
We do not receive any government funding and instead rely on donations from individuals, companies and charitable trusts, money raised by individuals and gifts left in people's wills to fund our vital work.
To visit our website please click here
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