Charter of Rights for People with Dementia and Carers

That the Parliament notes that, in October 2009, members of all political parties supported a members' business motion, S3M-04852, on a Charter of Rights for People with Dementia and Carers; notes the view that, while progress in rights-based approaches has been made, more can be done to increase visibility and access to rights; understands that there are 8,116 people who have dementia in Glasgow; notes the content of 3,000 letters from carers of people with dementia, which were presented in Parliament in 2011 and published in the Journal of Ageing University of Illinois, noting that feelings of loneliness and isolation are central to the caring process; values the work of the Alliance's Dementia Carer Voices project in reaching out to 80,000 people, resulting in 14,000 pledges across the UK to make a difference to the lives of people with dementia and their carers, based on the life experience of Tommy and Joan Whitelaw; notes that analysis of 6,000 pledges in Scotland describes the views of frontline staff regarding the importance of time for compassionate caring; considers that the experience and stories of over 90,000 people with dementia and their families are key to driving forward improvement; believes that dementia is everyone's business, and considers that the original sentiment of motion S3M-04852 and the importance of driving culture change and empowering people with dementia remains true, and that everyone can make a difference to drive that change.