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Policy
- Develop financial, legal and
social service models for dementia to ease the burden on patients,
their families and carers.
- Encourage the collection of
comparable data at a European level on the social and economic costs
of dementia as a basis for policy planning.
- Strengthen and develop
voluntary services and public sector partnership models
- Develop legal safeguards to
protect the individual rights of people with dementia.
- Encourage the exchange of
information on models of best practice between EU member states.
- Develop policies that delay
or prevent institutional care by offering a range of care and
housing options, thus enabling dementia patients to remain at home
or in the community as long as possible.
- Encourage a
multidisciplinary approach to dementia integrating medical, social
and governmental sectors in dementia care.
- Establish a range of care
and housing options in the community that will delay or prevent
institutional care.
- Give dementia services a
specific priority in the broader context of health care.
- Develop a set of standards
for the provision of home care.
- Initiate further reports on
the scientific information needs of home carers.
- Establish speciality or
'one-stop shops' to defragmentise care, simplify procedures for
carers and provide a central contact for interfacing with relevant
agencies.
If
Member States are to plan for adequate dementia care and services in a
humanitarian and cost-effective manner, it is essential to determine
the cost of dementia to the State at progressive stages of the illness
for the family, the community and the healthcare system.
Research
- Conduct gender-comparable
studies to investigate the impact of dementia among men and women.
- Initiate further research
into psychosocial aspects of dementia and its impact on families,
carers, patients and societies as a whole.
- Encourage pharmacological
research for the development of useful therapies with minimal side
effects.
- Examine preventive
strategies in relation to lifestyle issues in particular
cardiovascular disease and dementia.
Education
- Educate both public and
policy-makers about dementia and emphasise the magnitude of care
required, emphasising that dementia is an illness amenable to care
and treatment, not an inevitable process of ageing.
- Initiate broad based
campaigns to educate clinical and social service providers and
ensure the inclusion of dementia topics as a standard part of
medical curricula and training, thereby ensuring timely diagnosis
and treatment.
- Educate families about early
diagnosis and treatments available while allowing them every
opportunity to make decisions and arrangements for continuing care.
- Initiate public health
education regarding the benefit of lifestyle changes in reducing
vascular dementia.
Quality of Life and Independence
- Emphasise 'personhood' of
the dementia patient and keep treatment and care focused on
preserving the quality of life for patients and maintaining their
dignity.
- Provide regular respite care
and emergency support for home carers, who are themselves subject to
stress-related physical and mental illnesses.
- Develop training programmes
for voluntary and paid carers to enhance the level of care. Training
courses should cover areas such as making the home safe for dementia
patients, managing incontinence, feeding and bathing, time and
stress management, recognising non-dementia illness, dealing with
aggression and maintaining patient independence.
- Provide counselling services
to help carers cope with depression and the stress of care.
Care
must be tailored to the needs of individuals and their families rather
than to the established practices od institutions or the public
system. The issue is not simply managing dementia patients but helping
them make the most of their remaining years. |
