Dementia is the biggest social care problem facing the UK population today. According to a recent Guardian article, cultural discrimination is becoming an issue when it comes to UK Dementia services – albeit unintentionally.
The report claims that:
“The Centre for Policy on Ageing and the Runnymede Trust applied well-established dementia prevalence rates to census data, which estimated there are almost 25,000 people with dementia from BAME communities in England and Wales (PDF). This number is expected to grow to nearly 50,000 by 2026 and 172,000 by 2051, which is almost a seven-fold increase in 40 years. This compares to a two-fold increase in the number of people with dementia across the whole UK population in the same time period.”
The Race Equality Foundation commented on the article:
“Great article! It’s important that the increasing attention being given to dementia does not exclude issues surrounding black and minority ethnic communities, particularly since there is evidence that symptoms may emerge earlier in these groups.”
As a result of these findings, the Alzheimer’s Society is developing tailored programmes to support families from different cultures.
The Society is working on a number of culturally tailored services including information services, singing sessions and peer support groups.
Their programme comprises a series of face-to-face sessions and an educational DVD to take home and share with family members. Initial consultations have to date been held with 120 people with dementia, carers and professionals. The Pilots began in Enfield, Coventry, Leicester, Bradford and Rochdale in March 2014, with plans to roll out similar services to a further 15 locations later in the year.
What are your thoughts on ethnic minority representation in Dementia care?
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