TY - JOUR
T1 - Separate and Unequal
T2 - A Time to Reimagine Dementia
AU - Kontos, Pia
AU - Radnofsky, Mary L.
AU - Fehr, Phyllis
AU - Belleville, Mike R.
AU - Bottenberg, Frances
AU - Fridley, Mary
AU - Massad, Susan
AU - Grigorovich, Alisa
AU - Carson, Jennifer
AU - Rogenski, Kari
AU - Carpenter, Kyrié S.
AU - Dupuis, Sherry
AU - Battalen, Jill
AU - McDonagh, David
AU - Fassbender, Kathryne
AU - Whitehouse, Peter
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 - IOS Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The rapid emergence of COVID-19 has had far-reaching effects across all sectors of health and social care, but none more so than for residential long-term care homes. Mortality rates of older people with dementia in residential long-term care homes have been exponentially higher than the general public. Morbidity rates are also higher in these homes with the effects of government-imposed COVID-19 public health directives (e.g., strict social distancing), which have led most residential long-term care homes to adopt strict 'no visitor' and lockdown policies out of concern for their residents' physical safety. This tragic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic highlights profound stigma-related inequities. Societal assumptions that people living with dementia have no purpose or meaning and perpetuate a deep pernicious fear of, and disregard for, persons with dementia. This has enabled discriminatory practices such as segregation and confinement to residential long-term care settings that are sorely understaffed and lack a supportive, relational, and enriching environment. With a sense of moral urgency to address this crisis, we forged alliances across the globe to form Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice. We are committed to shifting the culture of dementia care from centralized control, safety, isolation, and punitive interventions to a culture of inclusion, creativity, justice, and respect. Drawing on the emancipatory power of the imagination with the arts (e.g., theatre, improvisation, music), and grounded in authentic partnerships with persons living with dementia, we aim to advance this culture shift through education, advocacy, and innovation at every level of society.
AB - The rapid emergence of COVID-19 has had far-reaching effects across all sectors of health and social care, but none more so than for residential long-term care homes. Mortality rates of older people with dementia in residential long-term care homes have been exponentially higher than the general public. Morbidity rates are also higher in these homes with the effects of government-imposed COVID-19 public health directives (e.g., strict social distancing), which have led most residential long-term care homes to adopt strict 'no visitor' and lockdown policies out of concern for their residents' physical safety. This tragic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic highlights profound stigma-related inequities. Societal assumptions that people living with dementia have no purpose or meaning and perpetuate a deep pernicious fear of, and disregard for, persons with dementia. This has enabled discriminatory practices such as segregation and confinement to residential long-term care settings that are sorely understaffed and lack a supportive, relational, and enriching environment. With a sense of moral urgency to address this crisis, we forged alliances across the globe to form Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice. We are committed to shifting the culture of dementia care from centralized control, safety, isolation, and punitive interventions to a culture of inclusion, creativity, justice, and respect. Drawing on the emancipatory power of the imagination with the arts (e.g., theatre, improvisation, music), and grounded in authentic partnerships with persons living with dementia, we aim to advance this culture shift through education, advocacy, and innovation at every level of society.
KW - Arts
KW - COVID-19
KW - coalition
KW - culture change
KW - relational caring
KW - residential long-term care
KW - social justice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105024520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85105024520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3233/JAD-210057
DO - 10.3233/JAD-210057
M3 - Article
C2 - 33646169
AN - SCOPUS:85105024520
SN - 1387-2877
VL - 80
SP - 1395
EP - 1399
JO - Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
JF - Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
IS - 4
ER -