Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic, spoke at the conference “Existing Support and Assistance Program for Families of Dementia” stressing that dementia is one of the common diseases of elderly worldwide and that providing support to the patients and their families is a global challenge.

The Commissioner stated that establishing a diagnosis without stigmatization is very important because diagnosing dementia is too often associated with shame. People living with dementia should receive various forms of support and the competent institutions must provide adequate services. The Commissioner pointed out that hospitals are not the right place for people with dementia and that a comprehensive, integral approach to providing services to people with dementia, including social and health care, is crucial for the quality care of dementia. It is also necessary to do everything in order to provide effective support to the patients’ families. Commissioner Jankovic warned that people who face dementia are very often exposed to discrimination. For this reason, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality has provided in its Regular Annual Report a number of recommendations, which are important for improving the position of persons with dementia and preventing of discrimination.

The conclusions of the forum organized by the City Municipality of Zvezdara will be submitted to the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans’ Affairs and Social Issues as an input in the process of drafting the Strategy for the Improvement of Social Protection in Serbia for the period 2019-2025.