Dementia is a global challenge – a new report asks if anyone is ready to take it up?

A report from the University of Birmingham concluded that national governments, health and social services, businesses, families and communities need to find new ways to respond to the growing number of people with dementia and to support family and friends who take care of them.

The School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, at the request of the Walgreens Boots Alliance, has written a policy paper on the needs of caregivers of people with dementia in different societies. Focusing on the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Australia and South Africa, the report explores the number and experience of caregivers accompanied by people with dementia in each context, before reviewing the research findings and identifying examples of good practice from interviews with policy makers. decision-makers, care-led organizations, public service leaders, voluntary organizations, businesses and academics.

Global:

• This is a major challenge around the world and all the signs show that different countries are not ready to face the consequences of these demographic changes.
• Everyone will have a role to play in addressing these challenges – it can not be solely the responsibility of health and social services
• There may be benefits for companies that can be sensitive to the needs of people with dementia and their caregivers – dementia affects a large group of potential clients and a large proportion of the workforce.
• Carer support can be fragmented and emotional and psychological support often overlooked
• We need to recognize the diversity of caregivers and care situations – everyone is different and a unique approach will not work

In response, the report calls for:

1. New research focuses not only on specific diseases, but also on the causes and nature of frailty itself. This should include the collection of clinical, biological, social and psychological data as people age to identify those most at risk of frailty (dementia being one of the conditions that people might develop. ) and to target the fragility factors to develop new approaches to the fight against fragility. delay progression or even reverse fragility.
2. Actions to help people recognize that they are "caregivers" and to point out existing sources of support. This must happen on a daily basis in the community – not just in health services and specialized social services. At the present time, too many people do not realize that the "caregiver" label is applicable to them and therefore do not access the badistance of the latter.
3. Integrate tips and information into everyday life so that individuals and families have more planning opportunities. In the UK and Norway, for example, new families receive a "baby box" containing baby products and parenting information (sponsored by companies whose products are in the box). In the same way that some of our participants described as "a set of care" – a collection of information on the impacts of aging (including the first signs of dementia), future financial planning and available health and social services, which could be distributed to everyone at a given age.

Elsewhere, the reports highlight:

• The importance of addressing the emotional and social needs of caregivers, along with more tangible health and financial needs
• The need to recognize the diversity of caregivers and care settings, so that responses are tailored to the needs and circumstances of each. The pressures can be particularly intense for the "sandwich generation", where a middle-aged person can balance caring for a parent with dementia, raising their children and keeping a paid job.
• The need to provide more and better support without baduming that caregivers continue to play this role is necessarily a good outcome.
• The need to address stigma and social isolation, as well as challenging cultural conceptions of the nature of care (for example, families want to take care of each other this care is primarily the responsibility of women and some communities "look after their own" more than others)
• The paramount importance of relationships – between caregiver and caregiver, between members of local communities and between family and formal services.

Siân Thomas, Lecturer at the Department of Social Work and Social Welfare at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the report, said:

"Dementia is one of the greatest challenges we face in the world, regardless of geographic location, and much of the responsibility for supporting people with dementia rests with their family and friends, and we need to do more to support these caregivers – being positive – caring for someone involves caring for them – but it can also put intolerable pressure on people and families if they are not properly supported and if they do not have the choice to become a "caregiver" or not. "

Richard Ellis, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Walgreens Boots Alliance, said:

"We are delighted to have commissioned this report, which describes one of the major health problems we face as a society, seeking to improve support for caregivers and helping to identify radical solutions. all have a role to play in making our communities better places to grow old – and the proposals presented here will help decision-makers, employers, health and social services and society as a whole to think about what we need to do differently .

Provided by
University of Birmingham