The right to rehabilitation of everyone, including people with dementia is one of my pet topics, and anyone who’s followed me here for a while will know I’ve been writing about and campaigning for dementia to be supported as a condition causing disabilities, and for proactive rehabilitation immediately after diagnosis for all people with any type or cause of dementia for almost two decades.
Change is slow, but we are at least moving in the right direction now…
The last three years I’ve been involved as one of the Cheif Investigators in a Research Project, led by Professor Michele Callisaya (Monash University and University of Tasmania), the project will conclude in 2025. It is exciting that others are wanting to adapt the e-ccourse for their own countries.
Check out the Monash University website here on the outcomes of the research project on “Improving access to rehabilitation for people with dementia”.
“Dementia is a leading cause of disability. Rehabilitation can help people living with dementia to maximise their independence and quality of life, and to do the things that are important to them. Many people with dementia miss out on opportunities to access evidence-based rehabilitation. This project aimed to explore barriers to accessing rehabilitation, and to co-design solutions to improve rehabilitation access via education and information.”
This brochure provides information about how to find an allied health professional in Australia with experience in dementia care, questions you can ask your General Practitioner to prompt an allied health referral, and some examples of how different types of allied health professionals can provide specialist support.
- Download the FREE BROCHURE HERE (PDF, 1.19 MB) or access it through the World Health Organisation website.
The short education e-course about dementia rehabilitation for members of the community is under development, and I will post another blog and add a sign-up link here when it is available.
Here is a list of a few articles on the topic:
Swaffer, K. (2021). Rehabilitation: A human right for everyone. In Dementia rehabilitation (pp. 1-13). Academic Press.
Swaffer, K. (2014). Reinvesting in life is the best prescription. Australian Journal of Dementia Care, 3(6), 31-32.
Layton, N., Devanny, C., Hill, K., Swaffer, K., Russell, G., Low, L., Lee, D. A., Cations, M., Skouteris, H., MC O’Connor, C., Collyer, T. A., Neves, B. B., Andrew, N. E., Haines, T., Srikanth, V. K., Petersen, A., & Callisaya, M. L. (2024). The Right to Rehabilitation for People With Dementia: A Codesign Approach to Barriers and Solutions. Health Expectations : An International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy, 27(5), e70036-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70036
Lee, D.-C. A., Russell, G., Haines, T. P., Hill, K. D., O’Connor, C. M. C., Layton, N., Swaffer, K., Long, M., Devanny, C., & Callisaya, M. L. (2024). Dementia rehabilitation training for general practitioners and practice nurses: does it make a difference? Nursing Reports. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14040226
Layton, N., Devanny, C., Hill, K., Swaffer, K., Russell, G., Low, L. F., … & Callisaya, M. L. (2024). The right to rehabilitation for people with dementia: A co‐design approach to barriers, solutions and strategies. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 20, e087169.
Thuesen, J., Ravn, M. B., & Petersen, K. S. (2021). Towards person-centred rehabilitation in dementia–a narrative synthesis. Disability and rehabilitation, 43(18), 2673-2679.
Cations, M., May, N., Crotty, M., Low, L.-F., Clemson, L., Whitehead, C., McLoughlin, J., Swaffer, K., & Laver, K. E. (2020). Health Professional Perspectives on Rehabilitation for People With Dementia. The Gerontologist, 60(3), 503–512. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnz007.
Laver, K. E., Crotty, M., Low, L.-F., Clemson, L., Whitehead, C., McLoughlin, J., Swaffer, K., & Cations, M. (2020). Rehabilitation for people with dementia: a multi-method study examining knowledge and attitudes. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), Article 531. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01940-x
Swaffer, K. (2016). What the hell happened to my brain?: Living beyond dementia. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Marshall, M. (2005). Perspectives on rehabilitation and dementia. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Downs, M. (2007). Mary M. Marshall (ed.), Perspectives on Rehabilitation and Dementia, Jessica Kingsley, London, 2005, 256 pp., pbk£ 19.95, ISBN 1 84310 286 2. Anthea Innes, Carole Archibald and Charlie Murphy (eds), Dementia and Social Inclusion: Marginalised Groups and Marginalised Areas of Dementia Research, Care and Practice, Jessica Kingsley, London, 2004, 288 pp., pbk£ 18.95, ISBN 1 84310 174 2. Ageing & Society, 27(1), 165-167.
Footnote: Many fo the articles above have been added here so you can download them. Feel free to reach out if you would like access to others, and if possible, I will provide them.
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