Skip to content

What is the Living Well with Dementia strategy?

5 min read

As of 2019, approximately 50 million people worldwide were living with dementia. In response, the Living Well with Dementia strategy was developed to shift the focus of dementia care from a fatalistic view to a more positive, empowering, and person-centered approach. This framework aims to transform dementia services by prioritizing the quality of life for individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

Quick Summary

This framework promotes person-centered, holistic care that improves awareness, facilitates earlier diagnosis, and ensures high-quality support for people with dementia and their carers.

Key Points

  • Person-Centered Care: The strategy emphasizes treating people with dementia as unique individuals with their own identity and preferences, focusing on their remaining strengths.

  • Holistic Approach: It addresses well-being beyond just medical symptoms, encompassing physical, mental, and social factors that impact a person's quality of life.

  • Early Diagnosis and Intervention: The strategy promotes early and accurate diagnosis to ensure timely access to support services and treatments.

  • Caregiver Support: The framework recognizes the vital role of caregivers and includes provisions for their support, education, and respite care.

  • Community Integration: It encourages active social engagement and community involvement to reduce isolation and foster a sense of belonging.

  • Empowering Communication: Strategies include avoiding direct memory-testing questions, practicing active listening, and validating emotions to maintain a person's dignity and emotional comfort.

  • Modified Environment: Optimizing the living environment with appropriate support and cues is a key tactic for maintaining independence and reducing frustration.

In This Article

The Living Well with Dementia strategy, first published in the UK in 2009, marked a significant shift in thinking about dementia care. It moved away from a solely medical-focused approach to embrace a broader perspective that includes health, social systems, and the wider community. The strategy's core philosophy is that despite a dementia diagnosis, individuals can and should be supported to live fulfilling lives. It emphasizes improving awareness, promoting earlier diagnosis, and ensuring high-quality, coordinated care.

Key Objectives of the Living Well with Dementia Strategy

The strategy outlined several key objectives to transform dementia services and improve outcomes for those affected. These goals are designed to work together to create a more supportive and inclusive society for people with dementia and their families.

  • Improve awareness and understanding: One of the primary goals is to increase public and professional awareness of dementia, helping to reduce the stigma associated with the condition. By promoting better understanding, the strategy aims to encourage individuals to seek help earlier and foster a more inclusive community. This objective also involves educating health and social care professionals to ensure they can provide informed and compassionate care.
  • Provide early and accurate diagnosis: Timely diagnosis is a cornerstone of the strategy, as it allows individuals to access interventions and support services earlier. A diagnosis provides a pathway for people with dementia and their families to plan for the future, understand the condition, and receive evidence-based treatments and care.
  • Ensure high-quality care and support: The strategy advocates for a holistic and personalized approach to care that meets the changing needs of individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This involves coordinating services across different sectors, from general hospitals to community-based and end-of-life care settings. The focus is on providing care that is compassionate and respects the person's identity and individuality.
  • Support caregivers: The strategy recognizes that dementia affects not only the individual but also their family and caregivers. It includes objectives aimed at providing better support for caregivers, including assessments of their needs, education, training, and access to respite care to prevent burnout.

Core Principles and Implementation

The implementation of the Living Well with Dementia strategy is guided by several key principles that promote a person-centered approach to care. These principles ensure that support is tailored to the individual's unique needs, preferences, and circumstances, rather than being based solely on their diagnosis.

  • Personhood: The strategy is built on the concept of 'personhood,' which emphasizes that a person with dementia should be treated as an individual with a unique history, personality, and identity. Care should focus on respecting their dignity and recognizing their continued worth and contribution to society, not just their illness.
  • Holistic assessment: Enabling someone to live well requires looking beyond the medical symptoms of dementia to consider what impacts their overall well-being. This involves a multi-faceted assessment that includes the person's psychological health, social connections, living environment, and emotional needs.
  • Empowerment and autonomy: The approach aims to empower people with dementia to maintain as much independence and control over their lives as possible. This includes involving them in decisions about their own care and respecting their right to make choices, including taking risks.
  • Collaboration: The success of the strategy depends on service providers working together to deliver properly coordinated services. This includes collaboration between health services, social care, local communities, and research institutions to create a comprehensive support system.

Comparison: Living Well with Dementia vs. Traditional Care Models

The Living Well with Dementia strategy differs significantly from older, more traditional care models that often focused on managing symptoms in a clinical setting.

Feature Living Well with Dementia Strategy Traditional Care Model
Focus Holistic well-being (physical, mental, social) and quality of life. Managing medical symptoms and addressing cognitive decline.
Approach Person-centered and empowering. Focuses on the individual's remaining strengths and abilities. Disease-centered and often institutional. Emphasis on deficits and progression of illness.
Role of Individual Active participant in their own care planning and decision-making. Passive recipient of care from professionals.
Involvement of Carers Fully integrated as partners in care. Needs for support and education are addressed. Often a secondary consideration, with limited formal support structures.
Community Integration Encourages social engagement and participation to combat loneliness and isolation. Care can lead to social exclusion, with services often delivered in isolated settings.
Core Philosophy Dementia is a manageable condition where a high quality of life is possible with the right support. Dementia is an irreversible and fatalistic condition with limited positive outcomes.

Practical Steps for Adhering to the Strategy

For families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, implementing the strategy involves several practical steps to create a supportive environment:

  1. Understand the person: Take the time to learn about the individual's personal history, likes, dislikes, and interests. This information is crucial for tailoring activities and support to their unique identity.
  2. Adapt communication: Employ supportive communication techniques, such as avoiding direct questions that test memory, practicing active listening, and not contradicting the person's reality. The focus should be on validating their emotions and maintaining a positive connection.
  3. Organize the environment: Modify the person's living environment to support their independence and minimize frustration. This could include simple measures like decluttering, using visual cues, or organizing schedules to align with their best times of day.
  4. Promote engagement: Encourage continued social, cognitive, and physical activity through meaningful hobbies, community involvement, or spending time with family and friends. This builds cognitive reserve and improves overall well-being.
  5. Provide just enough support: Instead of overbearing assistance, offer the right amount of support to help the person succeed while maintaining their autonomy. This might involve providing gentle reminders or simplifying tasks, rather than taking over completely.

Conclusion

The Living Well with Dementia strategy represents a profound and necessary evolution in how society and the healthcare system approach dementia. It reframes the narrative from one of despair to one of empowerment and possibility. By promoting early diagnosis, high-quality care, and person-centered approaches, the strategy provides a comprehensive framework to support individuals with dementia in leading fulfilling lives. It is not merely about surviving with dementia but about thriving with the right support, respect, and understanding. This holistic philosophy underscores that a person's identity and dignity should be preserved throughout their journey with the disease.

For additional guidance on supporting individuals with dementia, the National Institute on Aging offers resources and information on the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease, which shares many similar goals around enhancing care and support.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary goal is to shift the focus of dementia care from a purely medical approach to a more holistic, person-centered one that prioritizes the overall quality of life for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.

The national version of the strategy was published in the UK in February 2009. Since then, the principles have influenced numerous national and local initiatives globally.

The strategy aims to combat stigma by improving public and professional awareness and understanding of the condition. By promoting a more positive and empowering narrative, it helps reduce social exclusion and misunderstanding.

A person-centered approach means that care is tailored to the individual's unique needs, preferences, history, and personality. It focuses on respecting their dignity and enabling them to maintain their sense of self.

The strategy includes objectives specifically focused on supporting caregivers. This includes providing them with information, education, training, and access to services like respite care to manage stress and prevent burnout.

No, the strategy is designed to meet the needs of all people with dementia, regardless of the stage of the illness. The goals and support will vary depending on the individual's abilities and needs as the condition progresses.

Yes, a key part of the strategy is fostering community-level developments and promoting social engagement for people with dementia. This helps combat isolation and allows individuals to remain connected to their community.

References

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Medical Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding personal health decisions.