Separate & Unequal: A Time to Reimagine Dementia

Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice is an international group of dementia activists and allies – health professionals people living with dementia (young and old); carers/care partners; family and community members; advocates, artists, academics, policy makers and others - who share a diverse and humanizing vision of care and support that promotes inclusion, relationality, creativity, joy and the possibility of growth for everyone living with, and impacted by, dementia.

The arts are not viewed as being grounded in science, but in fact they are: liberation arts, arts for social justice, there is evidence to demonstrate its effectiveness in terms of challenging stigma, redressing inequities, and fully supporting people to live well with dementia...and to improve health, well-being, and quality of life.

– Dr. Pia Kontos, founding member ReImagining Dementia Coalition

In an article recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the roots of the Coalition are described as arising from the long-term systemic and structural inequities that impact everyone living with dementia, including care partners and families.

The more recent disparities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Black, Indigenous and people of colour and those living in long-term care communities, are also discussed.

The article, titled Separate and Unequal, then outlines the work the ReImagining Dementia Coalition is undertaking to rethink, revision, and actually reconstruct diverse living environments and health care approaches to achieve a more just, caring, and inclusive society—not only for people living with dementia, but for us all.