“Towards a dementia-inclusive society: WHO toolkit for dementia-friendly initiatives”, launched today, is WHO’s latest tool for establishing and scaling-up dementia-friendly initiatives globally. The toolkit helps countries raise public awareness and understanding of dementia to support people living with dementia to remain in, and be a significant part of, their communities. It assists people working in communities to plan, implement and evaluate dementia-friendly programmes or integrate dementia into other initiatives, such those relating to age-friendly environments and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.
The toolkit consists of a conceptual framework for creating a dementia-inclusive society and provides practical modules focusing on: starting a new initiative; integrating dementia into an existing initiative; scaling-up; and monitoring and evaluation. The modules can be used together or separately, and can be adapted to suit local needs and settings.
Dementia awareness and friendliness are one of the action areas included in the Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025. A better understanding of dementia helps lead to communities where people with dementia can lead meaningful, safe and dignified lives.