It is clear that good care is happening in many places and our challenge is to mainstream this good practice and make it everyone’s experience, but the needs and aspirations of citizens are changing, says Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive, Care England
Demographic change is happening now and we are fortunate that this is an age when people can live much longer and healthier lives. It is also a time when there will be far more people living with dementia. Our health and social care system needs to recognise this and develop services that enable people to live well with a long term condition.
One of our challenges is that the current health system is based on a 1948 model, when people were diagnosed with a condition, treated in a hospital and were either cured or died. The reality of the 21st century is that people are living with long term conditions, which cannot be cured, but need to be managed in ways that enable them to maintain their autonomy and independence and deliver the best lives possible with a range of health conditions.
Living with dementia creates many challenges and we have to reconfigure our system to understand these challenges and to enable people to live well and for the people who love and care for them to be supported effectively.
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