English: Now, there is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive detrimental impact on people living with and affected by some form of dementia. Ninety-five per cent of carers, in a survey conducted by the Alzheimer's Society, reported a negative impact on their mental or physical health. And really sadly - you know, it's hard to read these statistics out, but over a quarter of people who died with COVID-19 from March to June 2020 in the UK had dementia. So, it does bother me when the dementia action plan for Wales states: 'We need to further develop the links between care homes and community services and will expect the dementia "teams around the individual" to provide specialist and regular in-reach support to care homes. We are also encouraging GP practices to offer a new enhanced service for residential and nursing care in Wales.' Now, that stemmed from - . Seventy-five per cent of care homes surveyed said that it's difficult because GPs are reluctant to actually visit residents there. So, the evidence indicates that care homes have not been receiving an enhanced service from GPs. So, I will be pleased to learn what steps the Welsh Government will take to address this. This month, Meddyg Care has become the first care home group to establish an admiral nurse service in Wales. So, while other organisations have dementia advisers, who offer valuable guidance to people with the condition and their families, admiral nurses go beyond advice - they offer comprehensive specialist support and expertise for families and those living with the complexities of dementia. And reading on, I was further surprised to find that there are no admiral nurses in north Wales. So, Minister, I just wonder what review you could do as a Government to maybe help registered nurses become admiral nurses. This would be in line with the following outcome in the dementia action plan that says: 'Staff have the skills to help them identify people with dementia and to feel confident and competent in supporting individual's needs post-diagnosis.' Admiral nurses can also help unpaid carers, as such nurses can equip them with stress-management techniques and coping strategies that can then help to make contact with respite services and provide specialist carer education and training. In fact, really, we shouldn't be seeing any delays now in implementing any steps that might see greater support offered to unpaid carers. The sad thing is that 40 per cent of those feel unable to manage their caring responsibilities. Seventy-two per cent have not had any break during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 73 per cent have reported being exhausted as a result of caring during the pandemic. So, I agree with Carers Wales, Age UK, Carers Trust, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Oxfam GB and Rethink Mental Illness, who have called on the Welsh Government to ensure that our unpaid carers providing significant hours of care to patients with dementia - that they get the breaks they need. Now, whilst I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government is providing £3 million this financial year to support emergency respite care and the development of a short breaks fund, I am aware that some unpaid carers are taking on further responsibilities. So, again, it's all down to this data - this important data we need - so that we can actually look - or you can look, as a Government - at how you can alleviate the pressures that they are feeling. Finally, as Alzheimer's Society Cymru have highlighted, Wales is actually in a unique place, with access to dementia-specific funding and skilled researchers in the field. In addition to encouraging researchers to apply for funding under the dementia action plan, I want to see Welsh Government go further, such as by funding research into developing accurate diagnostic tools to ensure that people who receive a diagnosis of dementia can access the correct support immediately post diagnosis. I want to see the establishment of a national dementia data observatory, and also to ensure that post-diagnostic support for all types of dementia across Wales is funded. I encourage you all to join with Luke Fletcher by backing what is an admirable motion. Thank you.
Welsh: Nawr, ni ellir gwadu bod pandemig COVID-19 wedi cael effaith andwyol enfawr ar bobl sy'n byw gyda dementia o ryw fath ac wedi'u heffeithio ganddo. Mewn arolwg a gynhaliwyd gan Gymdeithas Alzheimer, adroddodd 95 y cant o ofalwyr eu bod wedi dioddef effaith negyddol ar eu hiechyd meddwl neu gorfforol. Ac yn anffodus iawn - wyddoch chi, mae'n anodd darllen yr ystadegau hyn yn uchel, ond roedd dros chwarter y bobl a fu farw gyda COVID-19 rhwng mis Mawrth a mis Mehefin 2020 yn y DU yn dioddef o dementia. Felly, mae'n fy mhoeni pan fydd cynllun gweithredu Cymru ar gyfer dementia yn datgan: 'Mae angen inni feithrin cysylltiadau pellach rhwng cartrefi gofal a gwasanaethau cymunedol, a byddwn yn disgwyl i'r timau dementia 'o amgylch yr unigolyn' ddarparu cymorth arbenigol a rheolaidd i gartrefi gofal. Rydym hefyd yn annog meddygfeydd teulu i gynnig gwasanaeth newydd gwell ar gyfer gofal preswyl a nyrsio yng Nghymru.' Nawr, deilliodd hynny - . Dywedodd 75 y cant o'r cartrefi gofal a holwyd ei bod yn anodd am fod meddygon teulu'n amharod i ymweld â phreswylwyr yno. Felly, mae'r dystiolaeth yn dangos nad yw cartrefi gofal wedi bod yn cael gwasanaeth gwell gan feddygon teulu. Felly, byddai'n dda gennyf glywed pa gamau y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â hyn. Y mis hwn, Meddyg Care yw'r grŵp cartref gofal cyntaf i sefydlu gwasanaeth nyrsys admiral yng Nghymru. Felly, er bod gan sefydliadau eraill gynghorwyr dementia, sy'n cynnig arweiniad gwerthfawr i bobl â'r cyflwr a'u teuluoedd, mae nyrsys admiral yn mynd y tu hwnt i gyngor - maent yn cynnig cymorth ac arbenigedd arbenigol cynhwysfawr i deuluoedd a'r rhai sy'n byw gyda chymhlethdodau dementia. Ac wrth ddarllen ymlaen, cefais fy synnu ymhellach o weld nad oes nyrsys admiral yng ngogledd Cymru. Felly, Weinidog, tybed pa adolygiad y gallech ei wneud fel Llywodraeth i helpu nyrsys cofrestredig i ddod yn nyrsys admiral. Byddai hyn yn cyd-fynd â'r canlyniad canlynol yn y cynllun gweithredu ar gyfer dementia sy'n dweud: 'Mae gan staff y sgiliau i'w helpu i adnabod pobl â dementia a theimlo'n ddigon hyderus a chymwys i gefnogi anghenion yr unigolion ar ôl cael diagnosis.' Gall nyrsys admiral helpu gofalwyr di-dâl hefyd, gan y gall nyrsys o'r fath eu harfogi â thechnegau rheoli straen a strategaethau ymdopi a all wedyn helpu i'w cysylltu â gwasanaethau seibiant a darparu addysg a hyfforddiant arbenigol i ofalwyr. Yn wir, mewn gwirionedd, ni ddylem fod yn gweld oedi yn awr cyn gweithredu unrhyw gamau a allai arwain at gynnig mwy o gymorth i ofalwyr di-dâl. Y peth trist yw bod 40 y cant o'r rheini'n teimlo na allant reoli eu cyfrifoldebau gofalu. Nid yw 72 y cant wedi cael unrhyw seibiant yn ystod pandemig COVID-19, ac mae 73 y cant wedi dweud eu bod wedi gorflino o ganlyniad i ofalu yn ystod y pandemig. Felly, rwy'n cytuno â Gofalwyr Cymru, Age UK, Ymddiriedolaeth y Gofalwyr, Cymdeithas Clefyd Niwronau Motor, Oxfam GB a Rethink Mental Illness, sydd wedi galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod ein gofalwyr di-dâl sy'n darparu oriau sylweddol o ofal i gleifion â dementia yn cael y seibiannau sydd eu hangen arnynt. Nawr, er fy mod yn croesawu'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu £3 miliwn y flwyddyn ariannol hon i gefnogi gofal seibiant brys a datblygu cronfa seibiant byr, rwy'n ymwybodol fod rhai gofalwyr di-dâl yn ymgymryd â chyfrifoldebau pellach. Felly, unwaith eto, mae'n ymwneud â'r data - y data pwysig y mae ei angen arnom - fel y gallwn edrych, mewn gwirionedd - neu gallwch chi fel Llywodraeth edrych - ar sut y gallwch leddfu'r pwysau y maent yn ei deimlo. Yn olaf, fel y mae Cymdeithas Alzheimer Cymru wedi nodi, mae Cymru mewn sefyllfa unigryw, gyda chyllid penodol ar gyfer dementia at ei defnydd ac ymchwilwyr medrus yn y maes. Yn ogystal ag annog ymchwilwyr i wneud cais am gyllid o dan y cynllun gweithredu ar gyfer dementia, rwyf eisiau gweld Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd ymhellach, drwy ariannu ymchwil i ddatblygu dulliau diagnostig manwl i sicrhau y gall pobl sy'n cael diagnosis o ddementia gael cymorth cywir ar unwaith ar ôl cael diagnosis. Rwyf eisiau gweld arsyllfa ddata dementia genedlaethol yn cael ei sefydlu, ac rwyf hefyd eisiau sicrhau bod cymorth ôl-ddiagnostig yn cael ei ariannu ar gyfer pob math o ddementia ledled Cymru. Rwy'n eich annog chi i gyd i ymuno â Luke Fletcher drwy gefnogi'r cynnig clodwiw hwn. Diolch.