Charity urges quality of life boost for dementia patients

Dementia services need to develop ways to monitor sufferers’ quality of life, the Alzheimer’s Society has demanded in a report published today.

Research for the society by the Mental Health Foundation found that even those with advanced dementia were capable of identifying what affected their quality of life using interviews and picture cards.

The report said many of the quality of life indicators used for the general population were also relevant for dementia patients.

Key indicators for people with dementia included security, social interaction, independence and physical health, but the report found these varied as the disease developed.

The research revealed a discrepancy between the views of dementia sufferers and their carers about quality of life. Carers tended to emphasise elements such as communication and a sense of the dementia sufferer still being the same person, while sufferers themselves emphasised independence and good health.

The report called for a system to be developed to monitor the quality of life for people with dementia.

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