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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The dialectics of dementia | | Author(s) | Jill Manthorpe, Steve Iliffe |
| Corporate Author | Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King's College London |
| Publisher | Policy Institute, King's College London, London, December 2016 |
| Pages | 38 pp |
| Source | Download: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/policy-institute/publica... |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Informal care ; Medical care ; Diagnosis ; Screening ; Research Reviews. |
| Annotation | The authors attempt to clarify positions taken by those with an interest in dementia, the reasons why these are adopted, and the consequences for people with dementia, and for carers and services. This report explores the dialectics of dementia by setting out four theses, for each of which there is a counter-thesis, and a synthesis that attempts to resolve differences. The first thesis is that dementia is a big and expensive problem, and something must be done about it. The counter-thesis is that dementia is a big and expensive problem, but need not be as big and as expensive as portrayed. Second, dementia is a disease process that deserves a medical solution. Counter-thesis two argues that dementia is not a disease, but a syndrome with multiple causes that may be more tractable by social means than by medical treatment. Third, the medical solution is undermined by failure to recognise dementia, which must be put right. Counter-thesis three puts the case that screening for dementia is not justified, the benefits of earlier recognition are unproven, and dementia is poorly understood. Lastly, the care of people with dementia is primarily an individual or family responsibility. Counter-thesis four states that care for people with dementia is idealised. The authors suggest that the National Dementia Strategy (2009) needs refreshing, to include plans that are more realistic, more psychosocial than biomedical, and more engaging. They advocate a Dementia Strategy 2.0 that regards dementia as a disability, and does not blame doctors for not recognising dementia, or families for not wanting to care. Priorities would be helping carers to acquire the skills that they need; ending financial incentives to achieve dementia diagnosis targets; and converting memory clinics into (probably smaller) specialist clinics for difficult diagnoses. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-161209001 B |
| Classmark | EA: P6: LK: LK7: 3V: 3A:6KC |
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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