A NEW campaign looking at how dementia services can be improved has been launched in South Devon.

Local councils, NHS Primary Care Trusts, the Strategic Health Authority for the South West and the Alzheimer's Society have teamed up to raise awareness of the condition.

Organisers said the idea behind the wide-ranging campaign was to dispel the myths surrounding Alzheimer's and look at how sufferers and their carers can get the vital support they need.

David Light has been caring for his wife Pamela for eight years.

The 74-year-old, who lives in Bishopsteignton, said discovering his 76-year-old wife had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's had been quite 'traumatic'.

But he insisted being able to care for her at home was essential.

Mr Light said: "We didn't know she had dementia until she had a stroke three years ago. It brought it all out in the open."

He said the medical and caring staff in Torbay, Teignbridge and Exeter had all been wonderful and had looked after his wife and himself with 110 per cent care and dedication.

He added: "What's important is more money is poured into helping carers look after their loved ones at home. People with dementia are in their own environment, surrounded by their loved ones and feel comfortable in their own homes.

"They don't like change. It upsets them."

Dementia affects around 700,000 people in the UK including 66,000 people in the South West.

The number is expected to increase more than threefold in the next 50 years.

The condition results in a slow deterioration of the mind which leads to sufferers losing treasured memories and forgetting loved ones.

A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society in South Devon said: "We're dealing with one of the last great taboos here. There can barely be a family in the land which has not been touched by dementia at some stage.

"The most important thing we can do is to reduce some of the stigma and some of the myths.

"We're doing a lot to try to dispel those feelings of doom and despair which surround dementia. It's nothing like the death sentence people fear it is.

"Looking at the services we provide isn't just about looking at how we can care for these people, but also what we can do to maximise their potential."

The stigma surrounding dementia means only one sufferer in three ever gets a formal diagnosis and others have no idea where to turn for help.

Mr Light said the biggest problem about dementia was to find information about it.

He has now written a guide book in collaboration with Jim Delves, from the South Devon Alzheimer's Society to help other carers.

He said: "It's quite difficult to access information about dementia which is why we wrote a book called Dementia Carers Pathways to help other carers find the information they need."

Earlier this year, the Department for Health launched the first National Dementia Strategy for England.

Backed by £150million over the first two years, it sets out plans to increase awareness of dementia, ensure early diagnosis and intervention and improve the quality of care which is given to people with dementia.

Mr Light's book is being published by the Devon Partnership NHS Trust.

If dementia has affected you or a family member, please log on now to fill out the survey at www.dementiaawareness.co.uk