Professor Eamon O'Shea:

The key element of the conclusion is the transformation of care. That is what should be emphasised in a national dementia strategy. To have that transformation, we need to challenge the following. We need to think of dealing with dementia as the most important aspect of ageing. We can talk about financing and communicating, but dealing with dementia is the really significant issue. We need to mobilise political and intellectual resources to support a liberating national dementia strategy. We need to make the national dementia strategy real and tangible for people living in their own homes. We need to create an understanding of dementia in society. We need to agree key priorities. For me, the key priority is to support individualised person-centred care for people in their own homes and communities. We need to support the practice of personhood. That is the challenge for everyone. It is not just for the deliverers of care or families but for the political system. Do we have the vision, courage and capacity to imagine a new paradigm, a new model, for people with dementia and, more importantly, activate the national dementia strategy to support this vision? If we were to do this, we could completely transform the lives of those with dementia.

Dr. Crowe will talk about what the transformation might look like.