NOTHING is more important than our health, and in the 11 years since they took office, the Labour Government has prioritised getting primary care back on track.

We have invested in the treatment of cancer, heart disease and strokes.

Now we have to prioritise an area of care that has to some extent been overlooked but which affects around 560,000 people in England, and which costs the health and social care economy more than cancer, heart and stroke disease combined - dementia.

Dementia is an illness that is rarely spoken about. It is one of those diseases that regrettably carry a stigma.

It's as if the world believes that the person with dementia is somehow to blame themselves and if they had been more intelligent, more active and less lazy, they could have prevented it.

Even with the ones we love, we do get a little cross with the forgetfulness, and impatient with the repetition of thoughts and stories, in a way that is not common with symptoms of other awful and debilitating diseases.

It is a wicked disease that takes a person away from us, little by little every day and the person with the disease can sense themselves slowly being removed, slipping away, and are embarrassed by the process, failing to ask for help, terrified by the diagnosis.

But dementia is coming out of the shadows as evidenced by the nomination of Julie Christie for an Oscar for best actress for her heartbreaking portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer's and dementia in the film Away From Her.

Christie's moving and unflinching portrayal, like Dame Judy Dench in Iris some six years ago, has helped to raise awareness of this dreadful disease.

Fear and ignorance about the disease often prevents sufferers from seeking help in the early stages.

Dementia comes in a variety of forms, covering various brain disorders that have progressive loss of brain function in common, and can often have severe effects.

The common misconception is that little or nothing can be done to assist people with dementia, but that is simply not the case - early detection and early diagnosis are vital to slow the degeneration.

It's a bit like pretending that the lump in the breast is not there, and hoping it will go away.

It is too easy to put problems like forgetfulness down to old age, and pretend nothing is wrong, leaving it too long before we see the doctor.

The Department of Health is currently working with doctors, academics and charities and community groups with expertise in this area - the Alzheimer's Society, Age Concern, Help the Aged and Action on Elder Abuse - to determine how to best encourage early diagnosis, improve support systems and raise public awareness to overcome the very understandable fear of the disease.

An interim report is due next month, with the final publication of a strategy later this year.

If you know of someone you think may be getting a little forgetful, encourage them to ask their doctor for the simple test that can help detect the disease.

It may mean that they stay with you, and not slip away for much longer than they would otherwise.

If it ever comes to me, I hope someone loves me enough to get me to the doctors in time.

If you want to take part in the consultation on this, or to get more information, you can visit the Alzheimer's Society website at www.alzheimers.

org.uk

If you think you have any symptoms you should visit the person best equipped to help you - your doctor.