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The legal implications of dementia in the workplace: establishing a cross-disciplinary research agenda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2017

VALERIE EGDELL ,
JILL STAVERT  and
REBECCA MCGREGOR
VALERIE EGDELL*
Affiliation:
Employment Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University, UK.
JILL STAVERT
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Capacity Law, Edinburgh Napier University, UK.
REBECCA MCGREGOR
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Capacity Law, Edinburgh Napier University, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Valerie Egdell, Employment Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University, Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh, EH14 1DJ, UK E-mail: v.egdell@napier.ac.uk
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Abstract

Dementia is a growing issue in the United Kingdom (UK) with over 800,000 people affected. Of these people, in excess of 40,000 are aged under 65 years. Thus, a significant number of individuals may be experiencing symptoms of dementia while in employment. In addition, as working lives extend, the potential impact of dementia on the workplace could be substantial. However, to date, there has been little research on experiences of dementia in the workplace. The research that exists highlights the lack of support for workers with dementia. Dementia may be considered to be a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Therefore, the legislation potentially provides a framework for individuals to request that their employer make reasonable adjustments to support their continued employment. International human rights law is potentially another tool that could be utilised to obtain necessary adjustments. This paper argues that in developing the evidence base on workplace experiences of dementia, it is important that the legal framework be considered. This paper reviews the existing literature on dementia in the workplace and embeds this in the legislative framework in order to establish a cross-disciplinary research agenda. While the paper focuses on the UK legal context, the argument presented in the paper is still relevant to other national contexts.

Keywords

dementiaworkplaceolder workersEquality Act 2010human rights lawcross-disciplinary research
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 11 , November 2018 , pp. 2181 - 2196
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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