By Henry Simmons
TODAY is World Alzheimer’s Day. Launched in Scotland 23 years ago, it provides a global opportunity to raise awareness about dementia and how we can work together to improve the lives of people with dementia and those who care for them.
Scotland has come a long way in 23 years. We are recognised internationally for some of the most progressive dementia policies in the world. In 2007, the Scottish Government made dementia a national priority and since then three national dementia strategies have been introduced, the most recent in June this year. Informed by people living with dementia, health, social care and other professionals, these strategies have driven significant improvements in many areas of dementia care and support.
These include commitments to offer high quality, post-diagnostic support to every diagnosed person, develop dementia-specific education and training for health and social care professionals and improve standards in hospital care.
There is much still to do. The gap between policy commitments and lived experience of many people with dementia and those who care for them remains wide. We spend many millions of pounds in public funds on dementia care but we do not always spend it well. Too often resources are consumed in a cycle of expensive crisis care, responding only when something has gone wrong instead of investing in support structures to prevent issues arising.
This approach disempowers health and social care staff and fails to build the capacity of communities as the mainstay of support for people with dementia and their carers. It also disempowers people with dementia and those who care for them as they are not given enough power and control to ensure they can lead their own support.
The Scottish Government’s third dementia strategy sets out an ambitious programme that sits with policies that aim to move away from this unsustainable cycle of crisis care. However, for people with dementia, these ambitions can only be realised with the right level of local investment in appropriate and effective services. Integrated Joint Boards will need to identify and invest in this; in such financially challenging times, this might mean a focus on redesigning services and reshaping investments.
This is best achieved by making sure that people with dementia and their carers are partners in this redesign. That is why Alzheimer Scotland has worked and campaigned for many years to ensure that people with dementia and their carers have as strong a collective voice as possible and that our members and activists are ready and willing to engage. There are several areas where a difference has been made. However, there are others where we have not seen the right level of investment or progress. This must change. National and local government must ensure that we do not creep into a postcode lottery of services that will only accentuate the culture of crisis-driven care.
In the 23 years since World Alzheimer’s day was launched, Scotland has made significant progress. We speak more openly about an illness that has for too long been surrounded by fear, misunderstanding and stigma. Alzheimer Scotland’s ambitions to make dementia everyone’s business and make sure no one faces dementia alone are startingto be realised. We cannot afford to wait another 23 years to complete this vital task. We must build on the progress we have made and we must work together, nationally and locally, to deliver world-class dementia care, support and treatment for everyone living with dementia in Scotland.
Henry Simmons is Chief Executive, Alzheimer Scotland.
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