‘Include dementia in disability act’

Cognitive impairment is one of the fastest growing disabilities and
should be included in future disability discrimination legislation,
professor Mary Marshall of the Dementia Services Development
Centre, said last week.

Marshall told the Managing New Realities conference in Birmingham
that much could be done to improve the experience of people with
dementia, to help them stay at home longer and to support carers.

“If every service knew how to work with people with dementia –
acute hospitals, police, primary care – that would probably make
the biggest difference.”

She said fixed packages of care were wrong for this group.
“People’s needs will change radically and there will be different
combinations of services needed.”