Following the death of his father to Alzheimer’s last month, the Prime Minister has announced a new partnership making dementia research a national priority.

I applaud this action and with more of us living longer we really do need to look at how we are to live longer in a better way. 1 in 3 of us will get dementia and the figure is predicted to rise to 1 in 2 by 2040.

With nearly one million people currently living with dementia in the UK, the prime ministers backing on this is welcome news. Unlike heart disease and cancer, where mortality rates have declined due to medical advances, dementia continues to rise as the population ages, so I was glad to see the Prime Minister reject the idea that dementia is simply an inevitable part of ageing.

One thing that does concern me, is that a lot of the funding has already been prioritised to pharmaceuticals, clinical trials and speeding up diagnosis. I would have loved to have seen some money set aside for research into what is driving dementia. A cure, if it comes, will take a lot of time. Alongside the research, I’d like to see the same ambition for what we can do now – risk reduction lifestyle factors including movement, sleep, healthy diet, hearing, blood pressure, alcohol and social connection are all things people can act on today. According to the Lancet Commission, nearly 45% of dementia cases globally are preventable or can be delayed by managing modifiable lifestyle and health factors. Whilst the evidence for specific multi-component protocols (such as the Bredesen Protocol) is still developing, this is an incredible percentage which could potentially be prevented and should not be overlooked.

And of course, we need more support for the carers who carry so much of the load. We need real support after diagnosis so that families aren’t left to navigate what is currently a confusing and lonely system alone.

Research, support and prevention aren’t alternatives. We need all three.