During Dementia Action Week 2019 Orchard House has pledged to raise awareness of the difficulties endured by people with dementia and the families that support them. We have petitioned the Minister of State for Care, Caroline Dinenage to answer some of our concerns, you can read our letter here:
During Dementia Action Week our thoughts turn to all the families we support who are caring for someone with dementia. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on the service that we and others provide and ask ourselves if we’re doing everything we can.
Sadly, for many individuals the care they receive falls short of what is needed, despite the best intentions of the service providers. We too often hear that due to delays in the publication of the green paper our hands are tied. When will we see it?
What we need to do in Dementia Action Week is focus on what can be done now and not be pushed to one side while we wait for the recommendations of the green paper. After all we know what needs to be done from many previous reports and the day to day experiences of the people we deal!
When will dementia be acknowledged as a chronic health disease whose symptoms cannot be tidily slotted into the stereotype of a muddled older person. Dementia hits people across age, gender, race and culture. Why are people with dementia being discriminated against?
Dementia is a serious condition, a leading cause of death and disability, and it seriously impacts the individual’s families. It is not something that we should expect caregivers to manage independently. It is a demanding job and one that requires knowledge and skills like many other conditions that are well provided for. Has the government abandoned families to face this alone? Would that happen to an individual with a similar life-limiting condition? Would families and friends be expected to deliver their care and support needs, often while juggling other family responsibilities and work?
Shame on everyone in our government that turns away from addressing this issue, societies and governments should be judged on how they treat the most vulnerable people in it.