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15th April 2010
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
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