Most of us have been exposed to dementia - with parents, grandparents, etc. impacted by Alzheimer's or another form of the condition. Those of us who have experienced a loved one fall victim know first hand the devastation that the diagnosis, the symptoms and the damage that its eventual progression brings. It's hard to imagine facing this as a younger, working adult.
A U.K. study titled "Managing Employees with Dementia: A Systematic Review" was published just a few weeks ago in the journal Occupational Medicine. The research draws on 44 papers and articles which explore the management of employees who developed dementia between 30 and 65 years of age - referred to as "early onset" or "working age" dementia.
This is a relatively unexplored topic - both from the standpoint of academic research and from a Human Resources policy and practice perspective. While much stigma remains in the workplace around mental health challenge, study co-author Dr. Richard Heron notes that the 'D' word, dementia, is perhaps becoming as feared as the 'C' word, cancer, once was.
For more on this study and the importance of work and of being productive in our lives as human beings, see my recent post at the Compensation Cafe.
Image © Kiosea39 | courtesy of openaccessgovernment.org
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