Social Domain Advisory Council Nuenen c.a., July 27, 2021

The ASD has been asked to participate in the design of new policies for dementia. We are responding to the memo Dementia Friendly Nuenen 2021 - 2025 v1.0 dated July 23. The available time of several days to read, discuss and come to recommendations was too short for a discussion in the ASD. Some members nevertheless consulted among themselves and arrived at the listed recommendations.

We appreciate the chosen format for its clarity, for its stated intention to give the working group plenty of room to achieve its and the municipal goals. We do note, however, that the focus is primarily on those with dementia and less on those whom the paper expects to deal with them, such as family caregivers, volunteers, clubs, stores and employers. That step is huge and largely determines the success of the policy. As an Advisory Council, we would like to remain involved in a draft version of the formulated dementia policy.

Considerations

The urgency and relevance of the presence of large groups of people living with dementia at home is made clear. The analysis that the environment of those living with dementia must be prepared for it is also correct. Awareness can possibly be achieved. But actually creating such a desired outlined environment will be more difficult. This is where the paper falls short at present.

Recommendations

Working group dementia-friendly Nuenen

Because of its central and major role in implementation, it is essential that all relevant groups be represented. This does not seem to be the case now. The professionals are present, but those around those with dementia whom the paper seeks to reach, influence and/or help are underrepresented. In the home, these are the family caregivers and roommates. Beyond that, it is the clubs, retailers and employers who are willing to continue to support people with dementia in their organizations or businesses. The expertise of experts in ICT and home automation, which support longer and better stays at home, can also enrich the knowledge domain of the working group.

Recommendation: Given its central and major role, encourage the working group to have a balanced composition. Certainly the target group that the paper seeks to reach should be represented. Otherwise they will be talked about and not decided with.

The proposed implementation is one-sided, and therefore vulnerable. All tasks to be carried out lie with the working group. The municipality supports the working group with a professional chairman and provides limited budgets to make their plans financially possible. At a minimum, this is very challenging. The freedom created for the working group is great, but so is the responsibility.

Recommendation: Formulate more clearly what goals the municipality expects the working group should achieve. Leave it free to choose the path to those goals and provide it with the support and necessary resources to do so.

The focus is very much on the people with dementia and how the environment should respond to them. But there is less or no focus on the environment, such as volunteers, family caregivers, stores, clubs and employers who need to start shaping that desired environment (pro bono). Awareness is being raised and that is good. But help and actual support to keep doing their difficult and sometimes arduous job (informal caregivers) well is less clearly elaborated.

Recommendation: elaborate on this essential phase or explicitly ask the working group to elaborate on this phase.

The tasks required of the working group, as articulated in the two spearheads, among others, are extensive. If the working group does not do it, the implementation of the formulated policy will be forfeited. Recommendation: Ask all members of the working group if they recognize themselves in the mentioned tasks and if they have enough time and energy to be able and willing to perform these tasks well.

Relationships between volunteers, family caregivers and dementia

With three papers coming out in quick succession, namely on volunteers, family caregivers and now dementia, the great kinship between these groups clearly stands out. This has not yet been so strongly addressed and elaborated upon in the notes. As an example: There is talk of a support center for volunteers, a support center for family caregivers and possibly a support center for dementia. The target groups overlap, have partly similar questions and problems, and call on a limited group of residents to perform the desired tasks. Recommendation: Analyze the overlap between these three policies in terms of appeal and support for the limited group of residents to perform the requested tasks. Are the three independent supports needed? Is it convenient to allocate budgets firmly among these three notes? And who will coordinate these three domains?

Housing

The survey reveals that residents expressly request more fine spaces in nursing and care homes. The paper does not address this.

Recommendation: do. Offer the prospect that if things really can no longer be done at home, there is help to make a smooth transition to a nursing or care home. Then family caregivers will last longer.

There is a residential care memorandum in Nuenen in which parties such as Helpt Elkander, tenants' interest groups, elderly associations, Archipel and the municipality are thinking, developing plans and actions in the area of residential care, among other things.

Recommendation: Health that the working group be aware of these and use the knowledge and insights of those parties.