Dementia remains an 'under-funded and under-priortised health issue in Ireland', an expert in geriatric medicine has claimed.

The comments were made by Prof Peter Passmore, a professor of aging and geriatric medicine at Queen's University in Belfast. He was responding to the results of a new survey, which looked at Irish people's attitudes to Alzheimer's disease.

As many as 44,000 people in Ireland suffer from dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer's. As part of the survey, more than 700 adults aged 50 and over were asked about their attitudes to the disease.

Almost seven in 10 said their biggest fear about developing it would be their loss of independence. A further one in four said they feared becoming a financial burden on their family, while one in five feared losing their memories.

Almost half of people said they believed they would have to give up working if they were diagnosed with the early stages of the disease. While one in three felt that an Alzheimer's diagnosis would be much more difficult to deal with compared to a diagnosis of heart disease.

Meanwhile, most people admitted that they would wait months to see a GP if they noticed they were suffering from a loss of memory.

Responding to the findings, Prof Passmore said dementia services are ‘under-funded and under-prioritised'.

"Furthermore, the lack of public awareness regarding the signs of early Alzheimer's disease also contribute, leading to a delay in people seeking appropriate help from their healthcare professional, particularly as many people mistake the early warnings as a normal sign of ageing.

"This, in turn, is leading to delayed diagnosis - all of which mean the patient is losing valuable treatment time," he explained.

Also responding to the findings, Catherine Cox of the Carers Association urged people to seek medical help as soon as they notice any potential early symptoms, such as memory loss.

"The lack of treatment options available for Alzheimer's disease patients is particularly challenging for people facing a possible diagnosis. However, the earlier a diagnosis can be made, the better the outlook for a patient and their carer,' she said.

The survey was carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes.

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