It’s interesting to hear all the visions, strategies, pledges, commitments made every week to solve the crisis in dementia care. The volume and frequency of the rhetoric always seems to intensify around important political events or awareness campaigns. Within a few days or weeks they often fade away with very little impact.
There’s a really good reason that the crisis in dementia support is deepening rather than improving. It’s because most of the rhetoric and strategies lack the invaluable insight and lived experience of the people working at the coalface of dementia care and the families they support.
For those of you like me who spend their lives at the coalface of delivering dementia services, you will share my frustration at the increasing number of failing strategies, policies, and support systems that have no chance of transforming the devastating impact of dementia on families living in all our communities.
The future cannot be waiting for cross-party political consensus on the future of social care. There you are, I’ve said it publicly now.
Any future dementia care vision & strategy is doomed to fail if it ignores the views, needs and creative ideas from people who live and work with dementia every day.
However, there is a really simple plan that could transform the lives of so many families facing this devastating and deadly disease.
You may ask yourself, what gives me the right or credibility to talk about the future of dementia care?
I have no “ology” or letters behind my name. I’m not clinically or professionally educated in neurological science, occupational therapy, mental health or adult social care.
However, with a five year track record as a dementia caregiver and successfully delivering over 400 golf sessions for people diagnosed with dementia and their carers, I think I’ve earned my stripes at the dementia coalface to form a constructive & innovative view on the future of dementia care.
As we all approach a new decade of living with dementia, now is the perfect time to embrace pioneering, innovative support services built on lived experience and designed in partnership with the families they support.
I call it my D-Plan “Future proofing better lives for families living with dementia”
In the year ahead I’ll start sharing the D-Plan with you. All I ask is that you embrace it with an open mind and remember that it has been designed with dementia families at the heart of everything.
Happy New Year to you all. X
Bravo to you all. You have done fantastic work again this year, not only helping people but also highlighting dementia. We hope to be able to get more involved with you in 2020