This week, local charity RICE, the Research Institute for the Care of Older People, announces that their Delivering Healthy Ageing – President’s Appeal received early donations worth £80,000 at their launch event in July.
The ongoing appeal aims to raise £200,000 to fund a dementia research programme and to support the growth of RICE’s clinical and research capability into new areas of age-related illnesses.
The appeal launch event, held at The RICE Centre in Bath, featured speeches from; the Mayor of Bath, Dr Tomas Welsh, Research and Medical Director at RICE, Linda Mansell, wife of RICE patient, Roger Mansell and Professor Roy Jones, President at RICE who announced two donations on the night. The early appeal donations were a grant for £75,000 contributed by late author, Sir Terry Pratchett’s DiscWorld Foundation and £5,000 donated by an individual supporter of the charity. Other guests at the launch included patients, carers, staff and trustees from RICE, Cara Charles-Barks, CEO of Royal United Hospitals, Bath along with other senior staff from the hospital. Other attendees were from Age UK, Bath Mind, The Peggy Dodd Centre, Quartet Community Foundation and 3SG, among others.
Research activity at RICE focuses on improving three areas of health for older people; Thinking Clearly, Moving Well and Staying Strong. RICE’s aim is to fight for a cure for dementia and the appeal will help fund research into Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease and the decline of bone and muscle health which impacts greatly on the wellbeing of older people and their families. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, only £90 per patient is spent on dementia research per year despite the total annual cost of dementia to the UK reaching £26 billion. To support RICE’s appeal, visit www.rice.org.uk/support-us/delivering-healthy-ageing-presidents-appeal.
As well as researching treatments for dementia, RICE hosts the NHS Memory Clinic for Bath and North East Somerset which receives referrals from GPs, assesses patient’s memory and provides treatment and medication for dementia. The RICE Centre also runs courses for carers and patients and The Memory Clinic has cared for over 12,000 local people and supported their families.
To donate or read about RICE’s Delivering Healthy Ageing – President’s Appeal, visit rice.org.uk/support-us/delivering-healthy-ageing-presidents-appeal/ To find out about RICE’s dementia research projects or partnership opportunities contact CEO, Melissa Hillier at ceo@rice.org.uk.
Featured image: Professor Roy Jones, President at RICE and The Mayor of Bath, Councillor Rob Appleyard at the Delivering Healthy Ageing Appeal launch event in July