I LOOKED forward to reading the long letter in Thursday’s paper (Why our language matters when talking about dementia, June 14). However, it came from a different perspective than I expected.
It was interesting and gave an insight into how this condition is regarded. My disappointment arose because I was hoping for some constructive and positive suggestions on how to communicate with and reassure someone living with dementia.
At the risk of seeming unsympathetic, and provoking controversy, my experience of having a relative with dementia does not encourage me to call her existence living. Her heart is pumping and she is breathing, but she is a shell of the person she was. She is lost, frightened, sad and depressed. My perception of her experience is that it is a tragedy and a living nightmare.
She is incarcerated in one of the better care homes. Even so, the calibre of care is sadly well below what she needs to help her live. This could well be because of the system – unqualified, underpaid and overworked employees with little knowledge of how to deal with this condition.
Therefore, I would suggest that research into HOW we care for dementia “sufferers” (yes, I will use that word – they are suffering) should take priority over the language used about this life-diminishing condition.
For my own part, regardless of the language used I am terrified of being diagnosed with this horrible disease.
Please invest more into properly caring for people with dementia, rather than being particular about the language. And this is from someone who is well aware of the power of language, and loves language with a passion.
Grace Dunn
Glasgow
THE recognition by the Scottish Government that mental health should be at the heart of any public health strategy, as outlined recently in its priorities for public health, is to be greatly welcomed. However, these words must be matched by actions, and this includes a much greater focus on prevention and early intervention in the face of a greatly increased demand on services.
It is estimated that around three children in every classroom has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem and 50 per cent of mental health problems are established by the age of 14, and 75 per cent by the age of 24.
Despite this greatly increased demand, less than 0.5 per cent per cent of total NHS expenditure is spent on specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This is equivalent to a mere 50p in every £100 of the NHS budget being spent on CAMHS.
In addition to increasing investment in CAMHS, preventing mental health problems through building personal resilience during childhood and adolescence is essential. This includes the need for greater education and support within schools.
All secondary schools should also have a qualified and appropriately experienced counsellor, providing support to troubled and/or distressed children and young people, including those with mental health difficulties. Scotland is currently the only UK country with no national strategy for school-based counselling services. In Wales the vast majority of children and young people who received counselling (88 per cent) did not require any form of onward referral once counselling sessions had been completed.
Investing a fraction of the mental health budget on school-based counselling services helps to keep children in school and avoid unnecessary and often stigmatising mental health diagnoses, as well as reducing the burden on the already stretched and costly CAMHS provision – the cost of five sessions of counselling is equivalent to just one contact with CAMHS.
We applaud the Scottish Government for its ongoing commitment to mental health and wellbeing, but this commitment to place it at the heart of its public health strategy must be matched by the appropriate resources.
Scottish Children’s Services Coalition: Tom McGhee, Chairman, Spark of Genius; Duncan Dunlop, Chief Executive, Who Cares? Scotland; Stuart Jacob, Director, Falkland House School; Niall Kelly, Managing Director, Young Foundations; Lynn Bell, CEO, Love Learning Scotland
BYRON McGuigan, born in Namibia and one of Scotland’s resurgent rugby team, recently encapsulated for me what it means to be Scottish – regardless of where you are born.
Anyone who talks about qualifications for voting in referenda or obtaining citizenship would do well to read this and digest it: “Believe it or not, even though I was living in South Africa, my dream was always to play for Scotland.
“My roots are so strong. When I sing the anthem it brings tears to my eyes. I actually close my eyes so the cameras don’t see me. I get emotional.
“I see myself as a very proud Scot, which might seem weird because I come from South Africa. I love saying that I’m Scottish even though I don’t sound like it.”
That’s what it means to be a proud Scot.
David Cairns
Finavon
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