David Cameron says the cabinet are to become Dementia Friends

David Cameron has revealed to BBC Radio Oxford that the entire cabinet has committed to becoming Dementia Friends.

It is an initiative launched to improve knowledge of dementia by spreading awareness of what living with the condition is like, and the difference people can make to those with the illness living in communities.

He also told Kat Orman that he saw Lady Thatcher go from operating at the height of her powers to slowly slip away with the disease.

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The old photos helping trigger memories in people with dementia

When Joseph Hardman died in 1972, his wife donated almost 5,000 glass negatives to the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry in Kendal, Cumbria.

The stunning images document decades of daily life from all over the Lake District - from antiquated farming techniques to beautiful landscapes.

And now they've been used to help a group of people living with dementia in the region - taking their own versions of his images and using them as a catalyst to reminisce about their lives.

Hardman moved to the area in 1911 and between the 1930s and 1960s he covered up to 200 miles a week in a taxi canvassing the region and selling his photos to local newspaper the Westmorland Gazette, according to the museum.

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New measures to identify dementia in older patients

NEW measures are being put into place to ensure older patients admitted to hospital in Worcestershire are assessed to determine whether or not they have dementia as quickly as possible.

According to rules agreed with other health organisations in the county any patients aged 75 and older admitted to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital or Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital must be assessed for dementia within 72 hours.

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Eating a curry 'can help beat dementia': Ingredient found in turmeric may hold key to repairing brains of people with condition

• Aromatic turmerone encouraged brain stem cells to grow into neurons
• So it could help develop a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases
• But experts urge caution and say research is still at an early stage

Lovers of spicy Indian food could be better equipped to ward off dementia, research suggests.

A compound in the aromatic spice turmeric, a key ingredient in most curries, may hold the key to repairing the brains of people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

In laboratory tests, aromatic turmerone promoted the proliferation of brain stem cells and their development into neurons.

It could now help scientists develop treatments for conditions in which brain cells are lost, including Alzheimer's and stroke.

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GPs offered £200 payment for each newly diagnosed dementia patient

GP practices are being offered £200 payments for each dementia patient they diagnose, and provide post-diagnostic support to, under a scheme to shift more care into the community.

The three-year local enhanced service - offered to practices by NHS Bristol CCG - also offers practices a a £500 upfront payment for signing up to the LES and a £200 ‘bonus’ payment for practices to increase their diagnosis rates by 5%, or reach a target of 65% of expected diagnoses.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens called recently for a ‘step change’ in diagnosis in order to meet the Government’s objective of ensuring two-thirds of people with dementia have a formal diagnosis by next year.

But GPs have found objections from patients and increased waiting times at memory clinics due to the controversial dementia case-finding DES in England.

A spokesperson for NHS Bristol CCG told Pulse the scheme was set up to support general practice taking on more dementia care from specialists, by providing extra resources for diagnosing patients with uncomplicated dementia and reviewing their care, while complex cases are still referred to memory clinic.

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