Recently, I did an interview with one of the Irish National newspapers about improvements in dementia care since becoming an advocate over eight years ago and the changes being made. One thing 2025 will go down as the year where real hope began with the announcement of the two new drugs for people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While it’s the first step, I think that it’s a huge leap forward and should bring hope for everyone affected by dementia, a great hope, that as the medication is further developed, it may help other forms of dementia and that means care for the caregiver as well.
In a world that’s so unstable and people are so unsure of what direction it’s taking, I think it can bring out the best in good people and organisations, I was never more proud to be part of Alzheimer Europe and to see the amount of work that they are doing, when the going gets tough the tough get going and we as an organisation are going in the right direction. The last European Conference in Bologna was proof of that with over 1500 delegates attending, one of the biggest ever, the amount of work that is being done at local level, to help communities become dementia inclusive and the work that’s being done to help people have a better understanding of dementia, all of which leads to a better and safer life for those whose lives are affected by dementia.
The whole approach that has been taken towards dementia has changed so much and the voices of the lived experience has been front and centre of everything about dementia, there was a saying “nothing about us without us” but now it’s real action and that is for the person who has dementia, their carer and those who love them, everyone has a voice, it's no longer a box ticking exercise it’s commonplace and along with the new medication , all of this put together makes for a brighter future.
Remember that this is a pot of boiling water and can make an egg hard and a potato soft, it depends on the way you look at dementia and the world.
