As we reach the midway point of the WHO Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025, the fourth From Plan to Impact report examines progress to date, barriers and enablers.
It also looks at how the global dementia community can influence and accelerate progress, working with and advocating to governments to develop and deploy essential national dementia plans.
This report also continues to look at the impact of COVID-19 on national dementia plan development, as well as on people living with dementia and their carers. Also featured within the report are case studies around the 5 different stages of national dementia plan developments.
Some of the key findings of the report include:
- Of the 194 WHO Member States that have committed to developing a national dementia plan, only 32 have so far been developed
- 28 new plans are needed annually to reach the WHO target of 146 plans by 2025
- Disruption caused by COVID-19 has exposed limitations on health and social care in low- and middle-income countries due to fragile economies and weak infrastructure
- Emerging evidence of cognitive impairment in all age groups as a result of COVID-19 may mean even larger numbers of people developing dementia in the future – making the need for national dementia plans even more crucial
This is a pivotal moment. Only four national plans were launched in the last year and we must now find ways to increase momentum, galvanise the dementia community, collaborate, innovate, and accelerate action towards achieving the goals of the Global action plan on dementia.
On 26 May 2021, the fourth From Plan to Impact report was launched during a side event to the 74th World Health Assembly. The 75-minute discussion was held by ADI CEO Paola Barbarino and featured an expert panel consisting of Mr Budi G. Sadikin, Minister of Health, Ministry of Health, Indonesia; Dr Mercy Mwangangi, Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Health, Kenya; Dr Luis Miguel Gutiérrez Robledo, Director of National Institute of Geriatrics, National Institute of Health, Mexico; Dr Tarun Dua, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organiziation (WHO); Prof Gill Livingston, Professor of Psychiatry of Older People, UCL; Kate Swaffer, CEO and Co-founder of Dementia Alliance International.
Following presentations from each of the panellists, questions were submitted from attendees of the event. Interventions from the floor were also opened up, where representatives of several governments responded to findings from the report.
