THE death of former taoiseach Albert Reynolds has shone a spotlight on the plight of people suffering from dementia in Ireland.
The ex-Fianna Fail leader, who was 81, had been rumoured to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease for a number of years, but the diagnosis was only publicly confirmed by his family in December.
Ireland's ageing population means that a growing number of people are diagnosed with various forms of dementia every year.
Dementia is used as an umbrella term that describes varied conditions that cause damage to the brain cells, with Alzheimer's being the most common cause.
Sixty per cent of people with dementia have Alzheimer's.
According to statistics from the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland, there are around 41,700 people with dementia in the Republic, with that figure expected to rise to 67,500 by 2041.
Figures for Northern Ireland for 2011 indicated that there were up to 19,000 cases in the region, with numbers likely to reach around 60,000 by 2051.
The Irish situation is mirrored worldwide with experts predicting that Alzheimer's will affect 80 million people by 2040.
The first public indication that Mr Reynolds was unwell came in 2008 when it was reported that he was unlikely to appear before the Mahon Tribunal because he was suffering from "serious cognitive impairment".
The following year, his son Philip spoke of the difficulties being experienced by the former entrepreneur who had used his business savvy, people skills and northern contacts to help lay the foundations for the peace process.
"Dad's memory is not all that it was,'' the chief executive revealed.
"He's on the start of a road to some place unfortunately which is more progressive than it would be in normal age."
Philip also admitted that without his five sisters' work the retired politician's 2009 book, entitled Albert Reynolds: My Autobiography, would never have been written.
Mr Reynolds' absence from events marking the 20th anniversary of the 1993 Downing Street Declaration again raised speculation about his health, prompting Philip to confirm he was in the late stages of Alzheimer's and required 24-hour care.
Referring to his father's failure to attend the Mahon Tribunal five years earlier, he said many people had thought his father had been "trying to dodge something but he was actually in the early stages of Alzheimer's".
Former British prime minister John Major yesterday said he had met the Reynolds family at their home when he travelled to Dublin to mark the peace deal anniversary last year.
He revealed that at the time it was "very evident" that his longtime friend and collaborator was "not at all well".
The Alzheimer's Society of Ireland last night urged anyone living with dementia and looking for support or services in their area to contact the body.