AT the first of what is hoped to be a series of health related meetings, the Friends of Okehampton Hospital heard last Wednesday about the bleak picture facing the sufferers of dementia. Charles Watton, the National Treasurer of the Alzheimers' Association, spoke of the current 700,000 sufferers — a figure that is estimated to rise to 1.7 million by 2051. In a reflection of the recent speech made by author Terry Pratchett, who was himself diagnosed with the disease, Mr Watton referred to the recent report 'Dementia UK' and to the 'Home from Home' report that highlighted the uneven standards of care in residential homes and in different parts of the country. He said that a National Dementia Strategy was due to be published soon, but he did not hold out any hope of extra funding for research – currently £11 per patient compared with £289 per cancer patient. There was, he said, a postcode lottery for care and the South West did not fare well. He hoped the new strategy might at least produce a clearer pathway of what patients and families can expect at each stage of the disease with better integration of services and earlier diagnosis. Another speaker was Pat Criddle of Exeter Age Concern, whose husband was diagnosed eight years ago at the early age of 54. She spoke of the help available and what was happening in Exeter to keep patients in their own homes for as long as possible. Pat herself had become a carer support worker and looked after 90 carers in and around Exeter spreading the word about allowances available, powers of attorney, keeping patients mentally alert and identification aids. Numerous questions followed the talks and the speakers were thanked by the chairman, Martin Perry.