THERE are now 34,289 people living with dementia across the North-East according to new figures - and a charity says many are not living well.

Alzheimer’s Society staff are now urging the government to follow up the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia which is due to end next May.

Regional operations manager Hazel Cuthbertson said: “With more than 34,000 people living with dementia in the North-East it is vital the government takes action.

“In the UK one person develops dementia every three minutes. We must do more to ensure that everyone living with dementia gets the care and support they need.”

Dementia UK: The Second Edition, produced by London School of Economics and King’s College London for the charity, provides the most comprehensive review of dementia in the UK to date. It reveals that there will be 850,000 people living with the condition in the UK by 2015, costing the UK £26 billion a year.

Despite these huge costs – two-thirds of which is shouldered by people with dementia, their carers and families – tens of thousands of people with dementia are still living without the right support to do everyday tasks like getting dressed, eating and going to the toilet.

As well as Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s Society has also published Dementia 2014: An Opportunity for Change which provides a snapshot of how well people with dementia are living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It found that just over half of people with dementia (58 per cent), were reported to be living well and nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) said they had felt anxious or depressed recently.

Prime Minister David Cameron launched his dementia challenge in 2012 - a programme of work designed to make a difference to the lives of people with dementia and their families and carers.