What is an outline of social model dementia?
Key principles of the social model of dementia:
- Dementia is a social construction: Dementia is not a natural or inevitable part of aging, but rather a product of societal attitudes, policies, and practices that exclude and discriminate against people with cognitive impairments.
- People with dementia are not disabled: People with dementia are not inherently disabled, but rather may become disabled by the way society is organized. For example, a person with dementia may have difficulty using public transportation if the system is not designed to be accessible.
- The focus should be on abilities, not deficits: The social model of dementia focuses on the abilities of people with dementia, rather than their deficits. This means recognizing and valuing the contributions that people with dementia can still make to society.
- Society needs to be changed, not people with dementia: The social model of dementia argues that the way to improve the lives of people with dementia is to change society, rather than to try to change people with dementia. This means making changes to things like public transportation, housing, and healthcare to make them more accessible to people with dementia.
Implications of the social model of dementia for care and support:
The social model of dementia has important implications for the way that we care for and support people with dementia. It suggests that we need to:
- Focus on the person, not the diagnosis: When we care for someone with dementia, we need to focus on the individual person, not just on their diagnosis. This means getting to know the person's life history, interests, and values.
- Respect the person's rights: People with dementia have the same rights as everyone else, including the right to make decisions about their own lives. We need to respect these rights and involve people with dementia in decisions about their care and support.
- Create supportive environments: People with dementia need to live in environments that are supportive and inclusive. This means providing access to public transportation, housing, and healthcare that are designed to meet the needs of people with dementia.
- Challenge stigma and discrimination: We need to challenge the stigma and discrimination that people with dementia face. This means educating ourselves about dementia and speaking out against discrimination.
The social model of dementia offers a new way of understanding dementia and has the potential to improve the lives of people with dementia and their families.