Dementia and Well-being

Abstract

In recent years, policy and legislation in both England and Scotland has sought to promote the well-being of users of health and social care services, such as people with dementia. Most recent policy across the UK has identified key objectives, attainment of which is essential to the well-being of service users as governments have introduced a range of initiatives to ensure that services deliver good outcomes to service users. To date, however, there has been very little consideration of how inclusive this agenda is to people with dementia. Ailsa Cook addresses this gap by reviewing critically recent health and social care policy in Scotland and England in light of the growing body of empirical research into the experiences and perspectives of people with dementia. She draws on this evidence to consider the particular challenges associated with delivering four key outcomes to people with dementia identified by policy makers as fundamental to well-being. These are: independence, health, choice and social inclusion. The book examines the potential for current policy proposals to meet the needs of people with diverse experiences of dementia and considers the particular issues relating to including people with dementia as partners in policy and practice - a key principle underpinning all health and social care. In so doing the book contributes a much needed policy perspective to the field of dementia, as well as providing a fresh lens through which to consider the difference that proposed policies can make to a diverse range of service users. Intended as a text for Dementia Studies and gerontology students the specific focus of this book on the inter-relationship of policy and dementia ensures its place as a key reference for policy makers and administrators assessing the impact of policies, both implemented and proposed.