Reablement for people living with dementia from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

Race Equality Foundation (REF), fellow members of the VCSE Health & Wellbeing Alliance have published a report on reablement services for people living with dementia from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

The predicted rise in cases of dementia, particularly among people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, means services like reablement, which aim to support people to stay in their home for longer, must be adaptable, dynamic and tailored to individual needs. REF’s research highlights some key concerns with current service delivery:

• Reablement was often deemed inappropriate for people with long-term or complex needs, such as dementia
• This is, in part, due to the expectation that successful reablement results in the person recovering completely, adaptations to service delivery and aims of reablement must be made to ensure people with long-term and complex needs still benefit from this additional support
• Reablement services focus on physical mobility and often neglect other aspects of a person’s health and wellbeing, like their social, cultural, spiritual and emotional needs
• Despite the progressive nature of the condition, everything that can be done to ensure someone has a good quality of life, should be done
• Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led voluntary organisations are well placed to deliver personalised reablement services, there is an ongoing need for more secure, long-term funding to enable this.

You can access the report here.