A new book titled 'Dementia and Human Rights' by Prof. Suzanne Cahill of Trinity College Dublin has been launched.

Dementia has been conventionally understood as a syndrome caused by diseases, characterized by plaques and tangles, drugs, tragedy, suffering and passivity.  The time has come to challenge this type of conventional and clinical thinking that for so long has underpinned policy and practice. Framing dementia as a disability, this book takes a rights based approach to expand thinking by bringing together concepts such as equality, dignity, participation and autonomy.

Launching the debate into new and exciting territory, it argues that people living with dementia come within the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and therefore have full entitlement to all the rights the Convention enshrines. With fresh analytical tools provided in the book, policy makers and practitioners will gain new insights into how this broader perspective can be used to further promote the quality of life and quality of care for all those affected by dementia.  

The book is published by Policy Press and can be purchased at Hodges Figgis or on line at http://policypress.co.uk/dementia-and-human-rights