The new national dementia strategy brings housing into focus

The Scottish Government has a long-standing commitment to support people to live well at home or in a homely setting for as long as they want to and it’s safe for them to do so.

Scotland has led the way in many areas of dementia support, being one of the first countries to publish a national dementia strategy in 2010 and with the work of groups like Alzheimer Scotland’s Scottish Dementia Working Group and the National Dementia Carers’ Action Network making sure that the voices of people with lived experience are clearly heard. There is also a commitment for every person who is diagnosed with dementia to receive at least one year of post-diagnostic support (PDS).

However, while one of the key aims of the previous dementia strategy was to support people to live well at home, it included very little mention of the role of the housing sector. And we know that access to PDS, one of the main ways people can access advice and information about adjusting to life with dementia, is patchy. Only around half of people who are entitled to PDS currently receive it.

Despite recognising the importance of people’s home environment, previous dementia strategies fell short of linking up health and social care priorities with housing needs. That’s why we’re really pleased to see the new National Dementia Strategy published today (31 May) place more emphasis on the role of housing in improving outcomes for people living with dementia. The new 10-year strategy sets out a vision for:

“A Scotland where people living with dementia and their care partners have their strengths recognised, their rights upheld, and are supported to live an independent life, free from stigma and with person centred treatment, support and care when and where they need it.” 

It aims to improve the lives of people living with dementia, their families and care partners by supporting the creation of dementia friendly environments, delivering more equal access to advice, information and support, and building a skilled, knowledgeable and trauma-informed workforce – crucially stating that awareness needs to be raised among housing staff as well as health and social care.  

It also re-states the Scottish Government’s commitment to widen access to good quality PDS that is relevant to the person’s stage of dementia, and for this to set people up to live the best life possible as their PDS comes to an end. This includes ensuring that their home has been designed or adapted to meet their needs.  

However, a new strategy is just the first step. The Scottish Government is now working on developing a more detailed action plan which we expect to be published by the end of the year. This should set out the actions that will be taken and the resources available for delivery to really make a difference to people living with dementia and those around them.

Our work on housing and dementia to date, including the Housing and Dementia Pathways research and practitioner guidance, the Housing and Dementia Framework, and the recommendations of the National Housing and Dementia Forum, highlights key areas for improvement that will help people to live well with dementia. We think the forthcoming action plan should set out steps to:  

• Remove barriers to aids, adaptations and technology to help people remain in their home
• Ensure that people can access a home that meets their needs if they do need to move
• Improve access to advice and information for people living in different housing tenures
• Support dementia awareness and training for housing staff at all levels
• Encourage people to think about their housing needs by including housing conversations in post-diagnostic support