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Abstract

While there is recognition of the challenges that dementia brings to the UK national health economy, less well understood is the impact of dementia as a health issue for UK Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. In a recently published book on the subject with contributions from academic researchers and the experience of carers and people living with dementia in these communities the presenting author considers not only the shared characteristics that are typical of the experience of all minority ethnic communities in the UK but also throws a spotlight on the details for different communities. These include the African- Caribbean, Irish, South Asian, Chinese and Jewish. The presentation will review some of the key findings and conclusions from the book and their relevance for awareness raising, carer support and access to services and deconstructing some of the stereotypes and assumptions about minority communities’ response to dementia

Biography

David Truswell has worked in community based mental health services in the UK for over thirty years developing services for people with complex care needs and enduring mental health problems in a career spanning the voluntary sector, local authority services, and the NHS at a senior level. He has two Master’s level degrees, including a distinction level MBA. From 2009 – 2011, he was the Dementia Implementation Lead for Commissioning Support for London, working with commissioners across London to improve dementia services. He is currently Executive Director of the Dementia Alliance for Culture and Ethnicity (www.demace. com) a UK social enterprise developed by local and national voluntary organisations working with dementia and is an independent Writer and Researcher on dementia support and services for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. His book on the subject is due for publication in February 2019. He is also the Director of somefreshthinking Ltd., a healthcare consultancy working on service redesign and change management in health and social care servicesd.

E-mail: david@somefreshthinking.com