• Older Person’s Act (no.13 of 2006): Although it does not deal with dementia in detail, it refers to it as a consideration for community-based programmes (see section 11(2)(a), p.7); as well as service at residential facilities (see section 17(b) and (d), p.9) (Government Gazette, 2006).
• Older Person’s Programme: Covers awareness, information, education and communication programmes as part of their proposed basket of services offered to older persons (see DSD’s Older Person’s Programme concept paper) (Jordan, 2009).
• The White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Government Gazette, 09 March 2016, no.39792) briefly acknowledges the vulnerability of older persons with dementia to exploitation, neglect, abuse and homelessness (see p.71) (White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2015). Beyond this, dementia is not specifically mentioned again – although the rights of persons with disability is addressed more broadly within a human rights framework.

References:

Government Gazette. (2006). Older Persons Act, No.13 of 2006 (Vol. 13, Issue 1098). Available from: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/other/2012/3/older_persons_act.pdf

Jordan, C. (2009). Older Person’s Programme: Concept paper. Available from: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/other/2009/10/concept_paper-_programme_older_persons.pdf

White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 1 (2015). https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201603/39792gon230.pdf