Contributing to the new Fife Dementia Strategy

STAND (Fife)

The FIFE Dementia Strategy was being refreshed at the time of this project. STAND members wanted to consult with people with dementia about what should go into the Dementia Strategy. They wanted to consult people face-to-face with a blank sheet of paper and not on a formed strategy.

Sadly, Covid-19 had a major impact on the group’s plans for this project. A questionnaire was developed by the Health and Social Care Partnership, and workshops were planned. However, uptake by people with dementia was low.

Subsequently, STAND were able to organise their own event in June 2022, as part of DEEP’s 10 year anniversary celebrations. 50 people affected by dementia were in attendance. A blank sheet was given to people asking: “What matters to you about living with dementia in Fife?” However, people found such an open-ended question to be too difficult. The priorities of STAND members were therefore used to guide discussions about what should be in a Fife Dementia Strategy:

• Accessing self-directed support at an early stage in the disease process

• Accessing peer support

• Receiving care at home

• Being actively involved in creative and artistic opportunities