New dementia strategy for Scotland: summary

A More Connected Experience 

The strategy follows the experience of dementia from a person's perspective. It starts with information and awareness around dementia, through to diagnosis, living the best possible life, support for advanced dementia and end of life care. It also recognises the stigma a dementia diagnosis still carries, and the need for this to change.

Challenging stigma

• The Challenge – Recognising and addressing how stigma affects our perceptions and understanding of dementia, from the language we use to the value we place on the contribution people living with dementia and their care partners/unpaid carers can make.
• The Difference We Need To Make – People have a greater awareness and understanding of dementia, and fears around seeking a diagnosis are addressed.

Brain Health

• The Challenge – Building on our world-leading Brain Health & Dementia Research Strategy to expand population public health awareness and literacy about brain health.
• The Difference We Need To Make – People are given the tools and knowledge to better understand their brain health and potential risk factors for some dementias. This includes through public and school education, as well as working with Scotland's research and academic communities.

Diagnosis

• The Challenge – Delivering a person-centred, rights-based, accessible, timely and uniform diagnosis process, adaptive to a person's needs
• The Difference We Need To Make – People have access to a diagnosis in their localities through a process that recognises their preferences and needs, alongside enhanced emotional support and a treatment plan with regular monitoring.

Post Diagnostic Support

• The Challenge – To deliver on our flagship policy of a minimum of 1-year Post-Diagnostic Support for all who need it, when they need it, extending its reach and how it is delivered.
• The Difference We Need To Make – People diagnosed with dementia access appropriate Post-Diagnostic Support in a setting in which they are most comfortable, irrespective of their location, age or stage of dementia.

Living the best life possible

• The Challenge – Ensuring support for people living with dementia in their communities is of a high quality and is focused on enabling them to live well at home.
• The Difference We Need To Make – People are supported to live actively in their community, with an enhanced range of community networks and spaces, have access to co-ordinated care, and are informed around how to make adaptations to their home to remain in their setting of choice as long as possible.

Advanced dementia

• The Challenge – Ensure the right support and care is available on a day to day basis for the growing number of people with advanced dementia, adaptive to individual need (including any difficulties in communication and understanding others), regardless of the severity of need or whether they are living in their own home, are in hospital or in a care home setting.
• The Difference We Need To Make – Staff working across care settings access specialist training to meet the needs of people with advanced dementia, and people living with advanced dementia and their care partners are supported through established and integrated care pathways which step up the intensity and type of support as needed.

Caring

• The Challenge – Ensuring all unpaid carers have their contribution and expertise valued, with the right support for their needs as embedded in legislation.
• The Difference We Need To Make – People providing care and support for someone living with dementia can access appropriate support for their own health and wellbeing, and are provided the necessary information and support to make the right adjustments to support themselves and the person they are caring for.

Supporting Policy into Practice through Education, Training and Implementation Support

• The Challenge – Ensuring we have a workforce equipped with the necessary specialist knowledge, understanding and diversity of professional expertise to provide person-centred information, treatment, care and support for people living with dementia, meeting their needs while upholding their human rights.
• The Difference We Need To Make – The 'dementia workforce' accesses specialist education and training, benchmarked against the Promoting Excellence Framework, and is supported to implement best practice across all settings and professions.