I’m delighted to share the following video by a dear friend and collegue of mine Mary Beth Wighton, produced in collaboration with Jessica Luh Kim. MB’s words resonate with the work done by so many of us over many decades towards realising the human rights of all people with dementia. My sincere thanks to them…
We definitely need to turn the table on who needs to be accommodated, and enabled to live in our society. Thus far, people with disabilities continue to be systemically marginalised, and accomodations that support us to live independently are more often determined by people withOUT disabilities. Yes, this is despite the motto, ‘Nothing about us,…
Over the years since my own diagnosis, I have talked and written about the profound and complicated loss and grief which I continue to experience following the diagnosis of dementia. To be honest, the phrase, “I didn’t get to say goodbye”, is just as applicable to losing some part of my functioning, capacity, including being…
Here are the links to three podcasts hosted by ‘With All Due Respect‘ I was interviewed for last year, which I probably forgot to share here. My beliefs about the dementia-friendly iniatives is that they are unfriendly to people with dementia, and wporse, are a waste of time and money; money that should be used…
The blog post explores the Welsh concept of “Hiraeth,” representing a deep longing for home, often felt by individuals with dementia in institutional settings. It critiques how the healthcare system misinterprets their distress as clinical issues instead of a natural response to loss and displacement, emphasizing the need for compassionate care and community integration.
When people are still being medicated for understandable reactions to a terminal diagnosis of any type of dementia, for responses primarily due to the lack of post diagnostic care, the grief and trauma of the diagnosis, the ongoing neglect, complex and constant grief, over, or under-stimulation, being incarcerated and segregated in a ‘secure dementia unit’,…
In chapter one of the book, Digital Convergence: Better Solutions for People with Dementia, edited by Nilmini Wickramasinghe, Thu Ha Dang, Tuan Anh Nguyen, and Sasan Adibi, I examine the dual nature of digital solutions for people living with dementia, highlighting both their potential to enhance independence and the risks they pose to human rights.…
Disability-Led Theatre Company Abundability Productions Returns to Adelaide Fringe If you are coming to the Adelaide for the Adelaide Fringe, I look forward to seeing you at the first night of the expanded season of OUTSIDE IN! Gold Coast–based disability-led theatre company Abundabiliteez Productions returns to the 2026 Adelaide Fringe with an expanded season of OUTSIDE IN at Nexus…
Yes, just as it is usually non-Indigenous people who are responsible for racism, people without dementia, and even some people with dementia, are partly responsible for stigma, discrimination, the continuance of rights violations, and the systemic injustices and exclusion many are still experiencing. The dementia friendly initiatives have done nothing to improve things either, other…
As a person living with a diagnosis of a rare young onset dementia and a retired (?!) activist engaged repeatedly in research, policy, and advocacy spaces, I argue that research which fails to achieve its stated aims is not simply ineffective—it constitutes a breach of disability rights as articulated in the United Nations Convention on…
Synopsis from Wikipedia: “Dopesick focuses on “the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction” across the U.S. on how individuals and families are affected by it, on the alleged conflicts of interest involving Purdue Pharma and various government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Justice, and finally, on the legal case against Purdue Pharma and…
For many years, I have campaigned against the use of the harmful label, BPSD (Behavioural and Psycholoical Symptoms of Dementia), as believe strongly it was/is labelling normal human responses to issues such as a difficult diagnosis, and the multiple, ongoing violations of rights experienced by people with dementia once diagnosed,including death, as well as more…
Author: Kate Swaffer © 2026 Despite decades of research, and public awareness efforts — including the widespread proliferation of the non-inclusive dementia-friendly campaigns— people diagnosed with a dementia continue to experience pervasive issues including stigma, structural discrimination, and social exclusion. These outcomes persist not because of a lack of awareness per se. They persist primarily because…
Following the free Dementia Rehabilitiation e-Course I was involved ih developing, now being hosted by Dementia Training Australia, it is great to share another step towards supporting people with dementia to remain active and engaged in their (our) communities. It is even more important to people with dementia and their care partners and families who…
I’m pleased to share that the Dementia Justice website, which had to be closed down in October, is now being hosted with its own page on my personal website. This research project is the one of two which I am currently the most proud to have been involved in, as well as working alongside Professor…
You must be logged in to post a comment.