The National Dementia Action Alliance (NDAA) is an alliance of nearly 100 health and social care organisations across England. It is hosted by Alzheimer’s Society. The NDAA recently published its report “From Seldom Heard to Seen and Heard”, setting out what has been achieved since the campaign’s launch in 2017. The report also contains a set of recommendations.
The campaign aims to improve outcomes for people living with dementia and their carers who come from ‘seldom heard’, i.e. marginalised, groups. The research has largely focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) community; on people with learning disabilities; and on the prison population. The NDAA has also been keen to include other marginalised groups, throughout the campaign.
People from the groups highlighted in this campaign often face barriers to accessing good health and social care, and even when they are able to access care, it sometimes fails to meet their needs. Challenges can include a lack of awareness and cultural understanding across health and social care settings. The NDAA therefore asked people in these sectors to pledge to take action and collaborate on the campaign objectives: raising awareness of the challenges faced by people with dementia from seldom heard groups; influencing system-wide change; and bringing about organisational change by implementing NDAA recommendations.
They interviewed experts, spoke with people affected by dementia, and reviewed existing research in their three areas of focus i.e. LGBT+, learning disabilities and the prison population. This research culminated in three roundtable meetings, where experts and people with dementia discussed key issues and formed a set of recommendations. A panel of people affected by dementia from seldom heard groups then discussed their experiences and what they wanted society to do differently to ensure that they are properly supported. In addition, representatives from nine seldom heard groups ran discussions on their area of expertise. You can read the full campaign report, and the set of recommendations, here:
https://nationaldementiaaction.org.uk/campaigns/report-from-seldom-heard-to-seen-and-heard/
