[Editors Note: Power-Up Friday is a weekly guest-blog by Dr. Al Power]
On July 7th, the Civil Rights Museum On Wheels, visited St. John’s Home. Van White, a Rochester, NY attorney, purchased a 1950s vintage bus from the movie set of “Hairspray”, and had it refurbished into an exact replica of the Montgomery city bus where Rosa Parks took a stand by staying seated.
Two days later, I was asked my opinion about whether people with dementia should live in specialized units or housing. In my upcoming book, I have a section that lists a number of reasons why I feel that the “dementia unit” is an idea whose time has come… and gone. But the biggest reason of all, I realized, is an issue of civil rights.
Most “memory care units”, as they are often called, are staffed by highly competent, caring people. But the basic concept stems from an institutional mindset that places people into an environment largely defined by their disease, not by who they are. It presumes that people with dementia are enough alike that they should share a common living space, and an approach to care and activities that reflects their illness more than their individuality. Segregating people due to a physical attribute – sound familiar?
Furthermore, there is a deep prejudice in elder care environments that is shared by other elders and families. “People with dementia should have good care – separate, but equal, and not in our neighborhood”. This reflects underlying fears and misconceptions about the disease, and sells short the potential for growth and engagement that still exists in people with dementia, as surely as it does in someone who is blind or has lost a limb.
In 1955, a widespread boycott of the Montgomery buses was begun. If everyone with dementia suddenly boycotted all segregated living environments, what changes would organizations make to regain their support?
Such a boycott is unlikely. Let’s make those changes anyway.
— Dr. Al Power