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A charity which has been calling for a dementia strategy for more than a decade has welcomed a Government commitment to finalise one before the end of September.
Dementia Jersey said that the inclusion of a strategy in the Health Minister’s priority list for this year was “great news."
There are more than 1,500 islanders with dementia, with that number expected to rise as a greater percentage of the population ages.
In light of this, Dementia Jersey and its predecessor Jersey Alzheimer’s Association have been lobbying the Government for years to focus on dementia as a distinct issue in need of its own plan.
In her ‘delivery plan’ for 2023, Health Minister Karen Wilson says she will update the Council of Ministers on the strategy’s progress before the end of March and complete it in the third quarter of this year.
In response, Dementia Jersey Interim Chief Executive Officer Wendy Buckley said: “Dementia Jersey has been calling for an island-wide strategy for more than 10 years, so to have it identified as a priority on the Minister’s health agenda is great news as it is what the island needs, and what people with dementia as well as those that support them need.
“Dementia Jersey is working in partnership with the Government to develop this strategy and we are confident that together we will deliver one that outlines the actions needed to help our community work towards being increasingly dementia aware, focused, and friendly.”
Pictured: Dementia Jersey Interim CEO Wendy Buckley: "It’s really positive news that we are where we are today".
She added: “Dementia Jersey is aware of 1,600 people with dementia and it is estimated that for every person living with dementia there can be up to seven people, such as family and friends, who can be affected whether that be due to emotional, practical, or physical impacts.
“The Jersey Dementia Strategy will be informed by the voice of islanders, people with dementia and their carers/ families and we expect that the strategy will be published by the end of the third quarter of this year.
“Dr Sian Wareing-Jones from Dementia Jersey is representing the charity as Lead Partner and is a core member of the working group tasked with developing the strategy.
“People who are living with dementia, carers, and health care professionals, together with representatives from primary care and the independent sector are supporting the direction and focus of the strategy as members of a steering committee.
“We believe it is important to hear the thoughts and experiences of people from across Jersey, and to help us capture these we are launching a public survey in early March.”
Mrs Buckley urged islanders to complete an online survey which will be available between 12 and 31 March.
Paper versions can be collected from Dementia Jersey offices, the charity’s ‘Thyme Out Express’ coffee shop at the entrance to the Hospital’s outpatient department, or at the reception at the Poplars Centre at Overdale.
She added: “It’s really positive news that we are where we are today.
"It’s only by working together and listening to the views of those with experience of dementia as well as charities and healthcare professionals, along with the Government that we can devise a robust and practical strategy that will help islanders now and in the future.”
Dementia is a collective term used to describe the symptoms of many disorders that affect the brain and is not one specific disease. Because there are so many causes of dementia which affect people differently, and which change over time, no two people will experience dementia in the same way.
According to the recently released Jersey Health Profile, the average age of someone suffering with dementia is 84. Of those recorded with the condition in Jersey and the UK, 63% are female and 37% male.
Although the risk of dementia increases with age, younger people in their 30s – 60s can also have dementia. The term ‘younger onset dementia’ is used for any form of dementia under the age of 65.
Anyone can get dementia but the likelihood of having dementia increases with age. It is also influenced by health and lifestyle, and for a very small number of people diagnosed, genes may be a cause.
Dementia occurs when nerve cells in the brain are damaged. These cells carry messages between different parts of the brain and to other parts of the body and as more nerve cells are damaged the brain becomes less able to work properly.
Types of dementia include Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body Disease and Alcohol-related Dementia.
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