New dementia strategy for Scotland: Everyone's Story

Vision

Our vision is of a Scotland where people living with dementia have their strengths recognised, their rights upheld, and where they, their families and care partners/unpaid carers are supported to live an independent life, free from stigma and with person-centred treatment and care, when and where they need it.

The difference we want to make:

1 Dementia is recognised in public health and in practice as disease of the brain that affects a person’s whole life and those close to them. Diagnosis can bring significant mental health and wellbeing challenges that need to be acknowledged and addressed to ensure a person’s rights are upheld.

2 Policy makers, support and service providers, communities and society all have an understanding of dementia, including the importance of prevention and early detection, and are inclusive of people living with dementia, able to engage and respond confidently and appropriately, creating environments that enable people to live well with dementia.

3 People living with dementia and their care partners/unpaid carers have equity of access to high quality, information and advice, evidence-based treatment, care and support when and where they need it, including dementia-specific palliative care, and have access to practitioners with appropriate dementia care knowledge and skills.

4 The human rights of people living with dementia and their care partners are upheld throughout their dementia journey.

5 People are supported by a skilled and knowledgeable workforce that accesses the highest quality dementia specialist education and training and implements evidence-based, including trauma-informed, practice.

Gerry’s story

Click Here for Gerry’s Story

Gerry talks about his perceptions about dementia, his dementia diagnosis, how he felt afterwards and how it affects him and his experiences connecting with other people living with young onset dementia.

My name is Gerald King but everybody calls me Gerry. I am 59 years old and live in Glenrothes, Fife.

As a result of the diagnosis, I was retired from work, I had to surrender my driving licence and lost many of my friends and liberties that many of us take for granted. After the initial difficulties of accepting and learning how to best cope with the diagnosis, with help, I picked myself up and I worked hand in hand with Fife Councils Dementia Friendly team to making Fife Dementia Friendly by taking Dementia Awareness presentations to all corners of Fife. Most recently we have been doing a lot of intergenerational work by taking our Dementia Awareness presentations into a number of Fife schools.

I am a founding member of a peer-to-peer support group in Fife called STAND. We are a peer lead charity that provides peer-to-peer support to people newly diagnosed and living with mild to moderate stage dementia and their wives, husbands, and families. Our ethos is to empower people living with early and mid-stage dementia to be the best they can be and to support them to live well with dementia.