Toespraak van staatssecretaros Van Rijn op de conferentie 'epidemic of the third millenium' over Alzheimer

Toespraak | 29-11-2016

Ladies and Gentleman,

I am honored to speak at this special conference, focusing on the progressive, life changing condition that is called Dementia. I would like to thank and complement the Slovakian government for putting this urgent theme once again on the European agenda and I would like to thank them for inviting me to speak about a dementia friendly society.

6 months ago –when The Netherlands was hosting the dementia conference in Amsterdam– I spoke to you about dementia and the Dutch approach.

In short: the Dutch approach focuses on all the different aspects of dementia. We want more research into a cure as well as improvement of care which contributes to a more meaningful life for people with dementia right now.

Research we can leave to the scientists. The Dutch government supports dementia research with many millions, both in a national research programme and in international collaboration in the Joint Programme Neurodegenerative Diseases Research (JPND).

We just announced that we will continue our contribution with 32 million Euros in the coming years. But as long as the vast majority of causes of dementia cannot be cured there is a lot that can be done to enable someone with dementia to live well with the condition. Care and support should be 'person-centered', valuing the person as a unique individual.

And everyone has a grandfather or grandmother, does have an old aunt or elderly neighbor or - as in my case - a mother, struggling with the consequences of dementia. Like hundreds of thousands of other sons and daughters, I am struggling with the long goodbye that dementia causes. With the sadness that you feel when your beloved one or mother does not recognize you anymore.

Each person is unique and will experience dementia in his or her own way. The different types of dementia tend to affect people differently.  Especially in the early stages. How others respond to the person, and how supportive or enabling the person's surroundings are, greatly affect how well someone can live with dementia.

And this is not alone a task for medical carers, specialist, family doctors or nurses. It is a task for all of us. For the partner, family, friends and neighbors, the bus driver, the community policeman and shopkeeper.

I want that people suffering from dementia can live as long as possible in their own house. The day I had to bring my mother to a nursing home was the saddest day of my life. She and my father could not be together anymore.

Although we have good nursing homes, everyone wants to stay as long as possible in their own house, in their own surroundings. And do the things they are used to do. Visit a friend who lives around the corner, or go to the local pub for a coffee or a glass of wine and afterwards meet the family in the park. These are small examples, but so valuable to live a dignified life.

In the Netherlands, over 70% of the people with dementia, live at home. And because of the aging process, the number of people with dementia will double in 20 years time.

So dementia care is not only about medical care, but foremost about the quality of life, in which the entire society plays a role. So it is important that as a society, we learn how to deal with people suffering from dementia.

And we can all help. As I said: care of elderly people with dementia is something that concerns us all. People with dementia live in our village, our neighborhood and our street. Many of them continue to function quite well for a long time. They don’t want to be regarded as ill, an object of pity. They play sports or cards, sing in the local choir. They are worthy members of our society.
 

Every now and then they need a little extra attention, a gentle nudge in the right direction. They benefit from people who realize what’s going on when someone is confused at the hairdresser’s or boards a bus having forgotten their destination.

For this reason, it is good that we have come together here in Bratislava for this important EU conference on dementia. Not only for the fight against dementia as an illness, but also to contribute to a meaningful life for people with dementia. In Europe we have already more than 7 million people with dementia. How are they able to live a meaningful and dignified life? How can we organize our society in a way that people living with dementia can take part as long as possible. How do we create a 'dementia friendly society'?

I believe that we cannot do this as politicians, policymakers, doctors or caregivers. In Amsterdam during the EU Presidency conference we were delighted to have some companies and municipalities on stage. They all explained what their contributions are to our shared goal. And that is what we need. A society that gives people suffering from dementia a place in everyday life. And I am surprised what a society can do if we all put our efforts into making a dementia friendly society.

Last May we started our campaign for a dementia friendly society. By now, only 7 months later, the numbers of participants in our dementia friends programme exceeded our expectations.

We have had commercials on television to raise awareness. We built a platform with online trainings –for now only available in Dutch, sorry for that– and created many materials for organizations, caregivers, municipalities and the ordinary man on the street.

We already have more than 10.000 people how have registered as dementia friendly. We trained 91 volunteers who can give dementia friendly trainings.

Great successes in the first 7 months, but a dementia friendly society is not about numbers. It is about the improvement people suffering from dementia experience in everyday life.

And I have seen some very good examples since we started the campaign. 1 of our biggest public transport providers has agreed on training all their staff on dementia friendly communities. They also advocate for making the dementia training a key part in the education for taxi drivers. From now on the taxi drivers will guide elderly people from front door to front door and make sure the costumer is in the right place when they leave.

Another example I love to tell.

In a large village in the Netherlands there is a bicycle repair shop located in a small shopping center. Each week an old man enters the shop to buy a new bike. Every week the man is helped in a friendly manner by the bicycle repair man who owns the shop. The old man chooses a bicycle - never pays – and leaves the shop with his new bike. Then he puts the bike in his own shed.

The next morning, his son takes the bike out of the shed and brings it back to the bicycle repair shop. He smiles to the bicycle repair man and says; see you next week.

The old man –who is suffering from dementia- always forgets that there is no need to buy a new bike. The son has agreed with the bicycle repair shop that his father can buy 1 every week and that the son brings the bike back the following day.

These good practices are not only to be found in the Netherlands. Many countries in the EU are working on a dementia friendly society. On a small scale or big scale. We can learn from each other by sharing small examples. From things that really impact some life. But even more we need to learn from each other by the bigger issues. For example, how can we create a movement in the society and how can we work together to tempt multinationals to join our be part of our movement?

With the United Kingdom and Denmark, we are already exchanging experiences on a regularly basis. How do you tackle things, what goes well, what else is needed? Very practical, and therefore very valuable.

I am glad that also Malta has announced to put this urgent theme on the European agenda. Thank you for that. The collaborations between our countries can contribute to a better understanding of dementia in all European countries.

A dementia friendly society can only be created if we work together, in a dementia friendly Europe.

Thank you.