Aged care should be focused on the person first and not their condition, listening to and thinking about the individual, to meet their needs in the way that they want.
A clinical psychologist with over 30 years experience in specialist dementia care, Professor Graham Stokes is one of the most influential people working in dementia in the UK. He has been instrumental in developing and shaping the concept of person-centred care, and his work over the years has seen him involved with the Dementia Action Alliance, Mental Health Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Dementia Truth Inquiry.
He was also part of the team which drafted the government’s ‘Five Year National Dementia Strategy’ and is currently a member of the government’s ‘Challenge on Dementia 2020’ (Meaningful Care Task and Finish Group). An honorary visiting professor of Person-Centred Dementia Care at the University of Bradford, he has published four books, including Challenging Behaviour In Dementia – a vital resource for understanding dementia and the people living with it, and most recently And Still The Music Plays: Stories Of People With Dementia.
As a previous global director of dementia care at BUPA, and now director of memory care at HC-One, he is integral in delivering strategy and policy for person-centred care across care homes in the UK.
He says: “The phrase ‘living well with dementia’ is important. As we age, our preferences and personalities remain individual, which is why, if care is needed, it should be provided in a way that meets the person’s needs and wishes. After all, they are the same person, with the same likes and dislikes. They shouldn’t be defined by their condition.”
You can read more of his advice and suggestions for people working with dementia here.
