The rights of people with dementia are often ignored. And yet 4 million Poles admit that they have a person with memory disorders in their environment. 3 million say they have someone with Alzheimer's disease among their relatives or friends. Nevertheless, awareness of the symptoms and course of the disease is very low. And as memory is lost, patients should not lose their rights.
The rights of people with dementiashould be known to all of us and scrupulously respected. This is important because dementia is becoming an increasing problem in aging societies and will affect more and more people. Another thing is that we often misuse the term dementia because we cannot distinguish dementia (dementia) from mild cognitive impairment, which is a natural process of aging.
The World He alth Organization (WHO) defines dementia as a symptom complex caused by brain disease, usually chronic or progressive, that is clinically characterized by multiple disturbances in higher cortical functions such as memory, thinking, orientation, understanding, counting, and the ability to learning and speech.
Problems related to cognitive functions are often accompanied or even preceded by disturbances in the sphere of emotions, behavior and motivation. It does not have to be accompanied by disturbances of consciousness, which in the presence of dementia constitute a separate diagnostic category.
Dementia is most commonly referred to in the course of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but there are many more conditions that lead to dementia.
As early as 2011, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the European initiative on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Twenty European countries have developed and implemented national Alzheimer's policies.
Poland does not, because although statistical data show an increasing number of patients, the Ministry of He alth believes that there are fewer patients.
The weakest side of the currently functioning solutions is the lack of a model of treatment and care for people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, in particular organizational solutions, diagnostic standards - including early comprehensive diagnosis, day and 24-hour care facilities, medical staff and caring.
Almost the entire burden of caring forpatients are transferred to their families and caregivers.
He althcare solutions in Poland are not geared towards early detection of disease risk.
General practitioners and family doctors do not assess the cognitive functions of their charges. They do not refer seniors to specialists who can assess the causes of dementia. It is a pity, because as you know, some forms of dementia (e.g. due to diseases of the cardiovascular system) can be prevented by treating the disease that led to it.
The International Alzheimer's Association, as well as European and Polish ones, remind that people suffering from dementia have their rights.
1. The right to medical care and specialist tests that allow you to make a diagnosis - confirm or rule out dementia. Thanks to a quick and correct diagnosis, the patient and his relatives can plan the future and prepare for the upcoming changes.
2. The right to know about dementia, its impact on the life of the patient and his family, and what changes in the behavior and functioning of the patient will bring about the progression of the disease.
3. The right to independence. Every chronically ill person wants to remain independent and live actively for as long as possible, but often needs the support of relatives and ensuring safety.
4. The right to decide for yourself. Dementia does not deprive anyone of the right to decide about their own fate, type of care, and treatment, if decisions can be made consciously by the patient.
5. Right to care. Every sick person who needs care should receive it not only at home, but also in authorized institutions, e.g. in nursing homes, day care units, etc.
6. The right to be respected. People with dementia should be cared for by people who know the person with dementia, their past and their family. Only then can we provide care that satisfies the patient and adjust it to his or her needs, abilities, lifestyle and preferences.
7. The right to dignity. No person may be discriminated against on the basis of age, illness, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation or social status. Everyone is to be treated with dignity, no matter who they are.
8. The right to access effective treatment. At every stage of the disease, patients with dementia must have access to drugs and treatment that allow them to live independently and with dignity for as long as possible. This should be supervised by the doctors who care for people with dementia.
9. The right to decide on the last days of life. During the period in which the patient with dementia remainedthe ability to make informed decisions, he or she can plan what the last moments of his life will look like. Talking about it is not easy, but the will of the sick person should be respected.
10. Right to good memories. People with dementia often want their loved ones to receive the support of family and friends after their death, and to be remembered for what they were before their illness. This is probably the toughest right you can have.