In the framework of the political agreement on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Government of Portugal has prepared its national recovery and resilience plan, to be assessed by the Commission and hopefully adopted by the Council.
The plan was launched on 17 February and is under public discussion for 15 days thereafter. It was with great happiness and hope that Alzheimer Portugal discovered, on pages 45 and 46 of this 147-page document, an investment of EUR 85 million to conclude “The Mental Health Plan Reform”, the objectives of which include the implementation of the "Dementia Health Regional Plans". The five Regional Dementia Plans are finished, since July 2019, but in spite of some reminders from Alzheimer Portugal to the Health Minister, nothing was happening, until now. This investment comes as a very pleasant surprise, during such turbulent and uncertain times.
In June 2018, the Portuguese Health Ministry launched the “Health Strategy for Dementia”, which is the result of the recommendations included in the “Bases for the Definition of Public Policies in the Field of Dementia”. The Strategy sets out the principles of care for people with dementia, criteria on prevention, early detection, availability of clinical and comprehensive diagnosis, therapeutic intervention at primary care level, hospital and specialised care, and a care pathway based on the ethical principles of proximity, availability, equity and continuity. The Regional Plans were built in respect of these guidelines.
It is also important to highlight other measures in the Portuguese recovery and resilience plan, that may contribute to promoting the quality of life of people with dementia, such as: measures related to the reform of primary care and its articulation with other levels of care; the improvement of proximity services with special focus on home and community services and facilities; requalification and innovation at nursing and residential homes for the elderly, people with disabilities or with incapacity.
Finally, the implementation of the "National Strategy for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities 2021-2025" is planned. This Strategy will have a positive impact on people with diminished capacity, reinforcing the awareness of the importance of defining appropriate and flexible measures in the exercise of legal capacity. Alzheimer Portugal will make every effort to ensure that the measures contained in this Plan come into effect as soon as possible, to ensure a better quality of life of people with dementia and their families.
