Rhodri LewisWales political reporter
The wife of a dementia patient has said she was “dumbfounded” after only being offered “a wad of leaflets” after his diagnosis.
Idwal Owens, from Caernarfon, Gwynedd, was diagnosed with vascular dementia six years ago, and his wife Moira said she was left to get on with it after the diagnosis.
The Alzheimer’s Society said the system was “failing people” and has done research which suggested one in five people affected get no support.
The Welsh government said it was committed to developing a new dementia action plan for Wales.
Mrs Owens said: “The consultant just said ‘oh yes, your husband’s got vascular dementia’, and I really wasn’t ready for that. I hadn’t thought anything about dementia.”
She was then told there was nothing the doctor could give her husband of 54 years for his dementia, and when she asked what she was supposed to do was told “oh we’ll give you some leaflets”.
She said: “So they gave me a wad of leaflets, and then goodbye, shook hands and went out through the door. Well, I was dumbfounded actually.”
The Alzheimer’s Society, which supports people with all kinds of dementia, asked people with the condition along with those who care for them across Wales, England and Northern Ireland about the amount of support they received.
One in five of the near 3,500 people surveyed said they got no support after diagnosis, while only 29% said care related to dementia was easy to access.
Two in five people with dementia said they were ashamed and felt the condition was stigmatised.
Gemma Roberts from the Alzheimer’s Society said: “There are many people that are really being let down by the system and the system is failing people.
“We’re talking about investing money in helping people to live well in their homes for longer.”
The charity has called for ministers to bring forward a new action plan for Wales after the last one expired three years ago.
Ms Roberts said: “We’ve got new evidence. We’ve got new research. There are real things we can do to make a tangible difference.”
A new blood test for Alzheimer’s disease which could revolutionise diagnosis was announced this week, but some experts said they were worried more money was being spent on looking for a cure rather than helping people with the condition now.
Dr Gary Christopher, from Swansea University, said: “A lot of the money is about future cases of dementia, but we need to help people now, because it’s fundamentally important to help people live well and live independently as much as possible with the condition.”
The Welsh government said it was committed to a new dementia action plan and would be consulting at the end of the year” to inform its development, drawing on the experience of people with dementia and their families.
“Dementia is a significant health and social care issue which impacts not only those living with dementia, but their families, friends and carers.”
You can see more on this story on Politics Wales at 10:00 BST on Sunday on One Wales and iPlayer