Thanks for sharing this
@millalm. I have already had to fight for mum with some medical issues that weren't being attended to appropriately and it took repeated prompts until I spoke to the district nurses (community nurses) myself. But, your example is significant at revealing how bad things are in other countries and the direct care worse.
Just to highlight on a global level and I'm qouting the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2019) say this:
'Worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year'.
This implies one new case of dementia every 3.2 seconds. Forecasts predict the following:
'The total number of people with dementia is projected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million by 2050.'
The total global cost of dementia is already in excess of 1 trillion US dollars (Alzheimer's Disease International) this is not just formal care but also informal care (the cost incurred to family and friends who take on caring roles) and this will continue to rise. The mechanisms we have in place now are already unsustainable. But this is global (macro level) when we talk at this level it becomes far removed from the reality of the micro level -that is us the very people who are affected by dementia and our day to day battles with dementia care.
Few countries are really addressing how to approach this increasing demand and how to address adequate care provision, the UK is guilty of this as well. Privatisation of the dementia care system is doomed to fail and lead to poor care as demand outstrips supply and profiteering shifts up the cost to those afflicted and their families, while care homes will struggle to provide good care and the situation will be as you have described if not worse for many. The system we have today is not going to succeed and is already failing. Profiteering from dementia has to stop and we have to find a better alternative to private care homes. People will have to make a contribtuion, but care provision can be done more fairly and with better results than we have currently.
One last point worth mentioning, qouted directly from the World Health Organisation (2019)
'People with dementia are frequently denied the basic rights and freedoms available to others. In many countries, physical and chemical restraints are used extensively in care homes for older people and in acute-care settings, even when regulations are in place to uphold the rights of people to freedom and choice.
An appropriate and supportive legislative environment based on internationally-accepted human rights standards is required to ensure the highest quality of care for to people with dementia and their carers.'