New WHO toolkit promotes inclusion of people with dementia

WHO toolkit for dementia-friendly initiatives has been launched. It is WHO’s latest tool for establishing and scaling up dementia-friendly initiatives globally. The toolkit helps countries raise public awareness and understanding of dementia to support people living with dementia to remain in, and be a significant part of, their communities. It assists people working in communities to plan, implement and evaluate dementia-friendly programmes or integrate dementia into other initiatives, such as those relating to age-friendly environments and the UN Decade of Healthy

Ageing. The toolkit consists of a conceptual framework for creating a dementia-inclusive society and provides practical modules focusing on: starting a new initiative; integrating dementia into an existing initiative; scaling up monitoring and evaluation. The modules can be used together or separately and can be adapted to suit local needs and settings. Dementia awareness and friendliness are one of the action areas included in the global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025.