Social Care News

Having Alzheimer's needn't mean poor of quality life, report finds

A report issued today (April 15, 2010) has found that people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can still achieve a good quality of life.

The report, My Name Is Not Dementia, published by the Alzheimer’s Society, draws on the views of dementia sufferers, including the author Sir Terry Pratchett who suffers from a rare form of the disease.

The aim of the report, which was complied by the Mental Health Foundation, is to break down misconceptions about the impact of a dementia diagnosis by listing simple ways to make life better for sufferers.

The report lists 10 criteria that people with dementia said were important in improving their lives, such as having someone to talk to, or being able to practise a faith.

It found misconceptions about the impact of a dementia diagnosis include:

54% of people think a diagnosis would have a greater impact on them in later life than having cancer or a physical disability;

Only 13% of people think it’s possible to have a good quality of life at all stages of the condition;

and more than half of people (52%) also believe having dementia has a stigma attached to it.

Sir Terry Pratchett said: “Dementia is undoubtedly a cruel and debilitating condition. However a diagnosis does not strip a person of their identity. That person still has a voice and they deserve to be heard. Dementia requires not just care but also understanding. There is an opportunity here to give the lie to some of the clichés of care. We have to learn to be good at it.”

alzheimers.org.uk/mynameisnotdementia