On 11 May, the journal HRB Open Research published an Open Letter from Prof. Eamon O’Shea of the National University of Ireland Galway, in which he argues that we need to assert the personhood of people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his Open Letter, Prof. O’Shea draws attention to the particular vulnerability of people over 70 to COVID-19, which has led to the creation of specific cocooning measures by the Irish government. These measures are aimed at keeping them apart from their families and local community, and are particularly hard on the 55,266 people with dementia in Ireland, 34,818 of whom are estimated to be living in the community. Whilst acknowledging the efforts of the Irish government, Health Service Executive and residential care units to protect nursing home residents from COVID-19, he calls for a person-centred approach to provide meaningful support for people with dementia in the care home setting. This includes offering sensory stimulation tailored to the individual, and ensuring that people remain connected to their loved ones whilst maintaining social distancing. To meet the needs of people with dementia who live with family carers in their own homes, Prof. O’Shea suggests that national television and radio networks could create public broadcasting initiatives that encourage physical activity, provide information and reminiscence-based therapy. He applauds the work of organisations such as the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland (ASI) in supporting people with dementia and their carers.
Prof. O’Shea concludes the Open Letter by calling for all to fully recognise the inherent personhood of people with dementia, responding to their need for additional support and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating “We need a strong and unbreakable social bond that we will not ration available resources by age, condition or income, but will continue to act on the basis of carefully assessed individual need and circumstances”. The Open Letter can be accessed here: https://hrbopenresearch.org/articles/3-15/v1#referee-response-27326
