Page 24 - Prescription for Life YOD v3
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Supporting People Living with Younger Onset
Dementia to Live Well
Biomedical Models vs. The Wellbeing Approach
Historically, dementia has been viewed through the
lens of a Biomedical Model. What this means is that
there has been an emphasis on dementia as a
biological condition, with:
Progressive, degenerative disease of the brain
Focus on loss, deficits and burden
Funding has been directed at development of
drug therapy
Stigma has been high, with a great fear about
diagnosis, with negative phrases such as
“fading away” and “loss of self” used to
describe dementia
…….and little focus on the ‘lived experience’ of the
person diagnosed with dementia.
Dr G. Allen Power has challenged this
biomedical model of dementia and
has instead promoted the use of a
Wellbeing model to support people
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