Following the adoption of the WHO Global Action Plan on the Public Health response to Dementia in May, it is pertinent to give our members an update on some of the work of the World Dementia Council. As Chair of DAI, I am a full member, and as the work of the world Dementia Council evolves, we will have more to report. For now, I'd like to highlight a small piece of work done by the Care Global Team of which I am also a member of.
Announced by the WDC on May 25, 2017;
The Global Care Statement sets out two Calls to Action, which are designed to help ensure these rights. These call for all of the world’s governments and governing bodies to adopt, implement, and ensure high-quality, person-centered care and support for people living with dementia; and for all health and social care systems to fund and provide access to high-quality, person-centered dementia care and support services.
It also includes eight important Principles of High Quality Care and Support, including for individuals to receive a timely and accurate dementia diagnosis; for people living with dementia to be treated with dignity and respect; for communities to be inclusive of people living with dementia and encourage their engagement in the community; for dementia care to be person- and relationship-centered and based upon continuous assessment and individualised planning; and for people living with dementia and their care partners to be active participants in care planning and decision making.
The principles also express the need for medical and care professionals to be knowledgeable of all aspects of dementia and to work across disciplines to ensure a holistic approach to disease management; and for care coordination and collaboration to occur between all care providers, including in monitoring and evaluating the care and support provided.
You can download the full Care statement here.
There are many academics and professionals publishing articles and writing books on improvng care, in the acute, residential and community care, and I'd recommend looking up books by Dr Shibley Rahman and Dr Al Power. Many people with dementia have also published books, and are full of anthropologcal evidence of their experiences, and what they want in their care. If you purchase through Amazon, you can donate to DAI via Amazon Smile.
Have a great day!
Kate Swaffer, Chair, CEO & one of eight co founders of DAI