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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Dementia
— out of the shadows | | Author(s) | Toby Williamson |
| Corporate Author | Mental Health Foundation - MHF; Alzheimer's Society |
| Publisher | Alzheimer's Society, London, October 2008 |
| Pages | 71 pp |
| Source | Alzheimer's Society, Devon House, 58 St Katharine's Way, London E1W 1JX. Website: www.alzheimers.org.uk |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Diagnosis ; Attitude ; Informal care ; Public opinion ; Projects. |
| Annotation | This report describes a research project exploring the experiences of people with dementia and their carers of finding out that they had dementia, the assessment and diagnostic process, and how they have adjusted and coped since being diagnosed. 61 people participated in the research, 32 of whom had dementia. Four main themes emerge: the importance of early diagnosis in understanding what is wrong; having a "good" diagnostic process; having practical and psychological coping mechanisms; and the pervasiveness of the stigma of dementia. Five recommendations are made: improve public understanding of dementia; improve GPs' understanding of dementia; develop better specialist diagnostic assessment services for dementia; provide information which is timely and accessible; and develop stronger peer support networks to help people cope. Appendices include a summary of the literature review by Alisoun Milne and Julie Peet, University of Kent (full review and references at www.alzheimers.org.uk/outoftheshadows). The Alzheimer's Society commissioned this project, for which work was done by the Research and Service Improvement and Workforce Development teams at the Mental Health Foundation, supported by staff at the Alzheimer's Society. The foreword by author Terry Pratchett encapsulates his experience of a particular form of Alzheimer's disease, posterior cortical atrophy ((PCA). (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-081009001 B |
| Classmark | EA: LK7: DP: P6: U5: 3E |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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