In Australian media we often hear about the ageing of our population, however it's unlikely that many of us have considered what this means to our population as a whole, including people currently in prison. Identifying the signs and symptoms of dementia is a challenge new to prison administrators and health care workers and determining the most appropriate, compassionate and ethical means of responding to prisoners with dementia is a growing issue for correctional facilities.
This blog post focuses on the resources about dementia in prison populations.
Natasha Sindano, Project Supporting Officer at Alzheimer's Society UK explains some thought provoking findings from the ongoing project that was started in 2015.
A unique group is supporting older prisoners serving life sentences to cope with the consequences of dementia. Gemma Williams and Judith Farmer report on their programme of cognitive stimulation therapy in Norwich prison.
The ageing population in Australia's prisons has grown at a rate faster than that of the general population resulting in the potential for an increase in the number of people with dementia living in a prison setting.
This paper examines the topic, investigating the needs and risk factors for people with dementia in prison and providing a series of recommendations to enhance and optimise their care.
This wonderful short film, outlines the role that prisoners are playing in assisting and caring for, prisoners with dementia in their own prison communities. The person-centered care that these men provide for their fellow prisoners with dementia is touching, and in some cases, is their first actual experience in caring for the needs of someone other than themselves. Caring for someone with dementia is always an act of bravery and dedication, yet in an environment often inclined to hostility and sudden outbursts the additional risks presented by people with dementia and those caring for them are potentially greater and the stakes, higher.
This article is an accompaniment and in many ways, a written description of the video. It is a great companion work and supplement to the video and again illustrates the dilemmas, human stories and impacts of dementia on an often-neglected part of our community.
Dementia presents a looming problem for prisons responsible for a rapidly growing population of older people, yet to date it remains largely overlooked. The last decade has seen increasing academic interest in the impact of this demographic shift on a criminal justice systems designed to house younger people, however the issue of dementia has attracted little attention.
With the number of older people with dementia in correctional facilities surging, complex ethical, legal and medical issues have arisen. James Baldwin and Jasmine Leete discuss the challenges and solutions for people with dementia in Australian prisons.
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