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No shying from controversy at international dementia conference

on Thursday, June 26, 2014

Around 1000 delegates and a field of international experts are expected at the Sydney Hilton today to talk sex, drugs and rock and roll in the lives of people living with dementia.

Risky Business 2: This Time It’s Personal is a yearly dementia conference conducted by The Dementia Centre in partnership with HammondCare that tackles deeply personal issues effecting the 44 million people living with dementia around the world.

HammondCare CEO Dr Stephen Judd will use his plenary address to set the tone for a discussion of controversial issues where the rights of people with dementia are commonly overlooked.

Dr Judd’s first theme centres on the suppression of sex and sexuality in nursing homes, or what he calls “the androgyny of aged care.”

He says dressing dementia-care residents in sexless, sloppy tracksuits may be convenient for staff, but can take away from their sense of identity.

“Sexuality is about more than physical sexual expression,” he says.

“It’s also about looking in the mirror and recognising yourself as a gendered, sexual being and having others recognise you in the same way.”

He also points out that although dementia does affect a person’s cognitive ability, it does not necessarily remove their capacity to give sexual consent.

Dr Judd then looks at the overuse of psychotropic medication for people with dementia in aged care homes.

With recent reports indicating as many as 6000 people could be dying prematurely each year from over-prescription of antipsychotics, Dr Judd says it’s time we “ditch the drug habit.”

To do so, he recommends strict, 3-month periodic assessments of the use of antipsychotic medication by a GP.

He also says increased implementation of person-centred care could reduce the reliance of prescription drugs to treat people with dementia.

“(Aged care providers) can use psychosocial interventions that give people with dementia the opportunity to participate in activities that are meaningful to them and contribute to those around them,” he says.

“With the right care and the right environment, I have seen people transformed and their prescriptions altered dramatically.”

Lastly Dr Judd will touch on key role music can play in improving the lives of people with dementia.

Dr Judd cites New York City social worker Dan Cohen, who introduced iPods and personalised playlists to clients in several NY nursing homes with unprecedented success.

“There’s something profoundly reassuring and comforting about listening to your own music, and research shows that it continues to resonate with people who have cognitive impairment,” Dr Judd says.

The conference runs over two days, with complementing panels and sessions from keynote speakers from all over the world covering every aspect of dementia care, from younger onset dementia to end of life and the perspective of carers.

Image: Dr Stephen Judd. CONTRIBUTED.

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