Still isolated in dementia ‘unfriendly’ nation
New figures show that social isolation is still one of the major issues associated with a diagnosis of dementia, a new report released today by Alzheimer’s Australia finds.
Kate Swaffer, who has a diagnosis of dementia, will be a consultant on the dementia friendly communities’ project.
The report, Living with dementia in the community: challenges and opportunities, contains the results of what is described as the 'first' nationwide survey of people with dementia to identify priorities for tackling stigma and social isolation associated with dementia.
Speaking today at Parliament House, Graeme Samuel AC, national president of Alzheimer’s Australia, says the best way of addressing the concerns of people with dementia was to consult them.
“The report’s findings are concerning and confirm that the social isolation that results from dementia is alive and well,” Mr Samuel says.
“I know from the experience of my own family how real the feeling of social isolation is and how difficult it was for my mother to maintain her lifelong friendships. Knowing that more than half of the participants surveyed felt that people avoided spending time with them because of their diagnosis is disheartening, and further justifies our campaign to build a dementia friendly nation,” he says.
Almost half of those surveyed state they have difficulty communicating with staff in stores. According to Mr Samuel, this poses a huge problem for the 70% of people with dementia who live in the community, and the 20% of them who live alone.
The report indicates that dementia can have a devastating impact on the social lives of people with dementia, with more than a third of the survey respondents stating they wish to have more social contact with people in the community, and more than half stating that a fear of becoming lost is a major barrier to them going out and enjoying activities.
Alzheimer’s Australia has appointed Kate Swaffer, who has a diagnosis of dementia, to be a consultant on the dementia friendly communities’ project.
“Small actions count towards making a big difference to the everyday lives of people with dementia,” Ms Swaffer says. “The main priority for creating dementia friendly communities, as identified by those surveyed, is to improve access to social activities and opportunities for engagement including employment and volunteering,” she says.
“Each dementia friendly community will look different but may include simple changes like training staff to better communicate with people with dementia, providing volunteering and employment opportunities for people with dementia, as well as providing access to social activities such as sporting clubs and social groups.”
The report will be launched at Alzheimer’s Australia’s Parliamentary Friends of Dementia meeting at Parliament House in Canberra today.
Further information, including resources and toolkits about dementia friendly communities, can be found at www.dementiafriendly.org.au
