The Alzheimer's Society has released a new report based on interviews of 44 people with dementia. The report concludes that people with dementia can have a good quality of life, and highlights what factors are most important in determining that quality.
In order of importance, those factors are:
1. Relationships or someone to talk to
2. Environment
3. Physical health
4. Sense of humor
5. Independence
6. Ability to communicate
7. Sense of personal identity
8. Ability or opportunity to engage in activities
9. Ability to practice faith or religion
10. Experience of stigma.
A couple of sentences in the executive summary of the report say it all:
The finding that there are many factors outside the person’s dementia that affect their quality of life provides further incentive to ensure services are developed that address a wide range of aspects of people’s lives. It demonstrates the importance of avoiding assumptions that, following a diagnosis of dementia, support to improve other aspects of a person life is pointless because it will have no impact on quality of life.
Oh, OK. Now that I'm catching up backwards, this more or less says it all. Short, succinct, sweet, true.
Posted by: Gail Rae Hudson | May 01, 2010 at 02:32 AM
I'm single- where does that leave me?
Posted by: dd | May 03, 2010 at 10:02 PM