DESPITE a quarter of hospital beds being occupied by people with dementia, an Alzheimer’s Society investigation has found that too many people are falling while in hospital, being discharged at night or being stranded in hospital.

Good dementia care should never be a throw of the dice – yet people are forced to gamble with their health every time they are admitted to hospital.

This issue is very close to my heart. My mother, Mary, who had Alzheimer’s disease, was hospitalised for an emergency operation and contracted MRSA.

She was seriously ill for weeks and, despite fighting off the virus, because she’d been in a hospital bed for so long she’d forgotten how to walk and in fact never walked again.

As an Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador, I’m supporting their Fix Dementia Care campaign which aims to improve hospital care and reduce variation.

Hospital managers need to know about the care people with dementia receive and be accountable when things go wrong.

To take action and join the campaign visit: alzheimers.org.uk/fixhospitalcare.

Kevin Whately, Actor and Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador