[SUMBITTED] The Dementia Dilemma

by **SherpDaWerp** » Sun Jun 23, 2019 6:36 pm

Description
Last week, your aides scheduled a meeting with a renowned former statesman of @@NAME@@. Unfortunately, due to his long-standing battle with Alzheimer's disease, the meeting left something to be desired, bringing the once-forgotten issue of dementia treatment in @@NAME@@ back to the spotlight.

Validity
No geronticide
Average lifespan over 60 years

Option 1
@@RANDOMMALENAME@@, the statesman with whom you met, expresses his concerns to a nearby aide, who he appears to have mistaken for you. "Once upon a time, I would have been running this @@TYPE@@, but now I'm... I'm... What was I saying? Oh yes… Some folk like me might need day centres, and help round the house. I'm fine, but what I wouldn't mind is more attractive nurses like that cutie over there." He winks in your direction.
Validity
All
Outcome
the most attractive @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ end up in dementia care work

Option 2
As he leaves, the aide he was talking to rolls her eyes. "Surely it can't fall to @@NAME@@ to give people like him handouts. If these old farts haven't planned for inevitable cognitive decline, that's their fault. Cut all aged care funding, and if people can't manage, well then I guess it's just too bad."
Validity
All
Outcome
@@NAME@@'s elderly populace receives no support whatsoever

Option 3
"Hang on, hang on. Whatever happened to having a caring family?", interjects your aunt, who is nearing old age herself. "When I was young, we used to care for our parents through thick and thin! This country needs more reinforcement of the traditional family values, loving and caring for one another. Why don't we just make the elderly legal dependants on their children, as a way of paying their parents back for raising them?"
Validity
All
Outcome
the government mandates caring for one's family

Option 4
"Y'know, there's another solution to this problem," whispers your ever-present Minister for Creative Solutions. "These people already aren't able to contribute to our economy, so why don't we just get rid of them, nice and quiet-like."
Validity
All
Outcome
kindergarteners who forget words get placed on a government hit list

by **Australian rePublic** » Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:07 pm

My mother doesn't have dementia

by **SherpDaWerp** » Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:29 pm

As in player autonomy issues with "my leader's mother doesn't have dementia?" Fair, I'll attempt a re-write to remove that aspect from the issue

by **The Free Joy State** » Sun Jun 23, 2019 11:13 pm

SherpDaWerp wrote:As in player autonomy issues with "my leader's mother doesn't have dementia?" Fair, I'll attempt a re-write to remove that aspect from the issue

The treatment of individuals with dementia seems like it could be a viable idea for an issue (once @@LEADER@@'s mother having dementia has been removed, as that does not tie-in with previous characterisations -- an aunt may work).

I suggest you read more on the subject of dementia before redrafting, and that you don't ignore early-onset dementia (there's no need to do that).

I suggest you narrow down your options to what current options generally are for people with dementia (and a crazy option), and possibly lose the capitalist option, which doesn't seem to add anything. I suggest your options are:
--> "Invest in care homes for people with dementia, and training specialised staff."
--> "Focus on early diagnosis and medical intervention to enable people to have a better quality of life for longer"
--> "Support families and individuals within the community, with visiting care workers and free day centres and respite care."
--> "That's all too expensive. Euthanise anyone who shows signs of cognitive deterioration."

by **SherpDaWerp** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:06 am

Feedback has been taken on board.
Option 2 was based off my grandmother (OOC) who does have dementia and regularly buys way too much stuff. It's been removed, because it might not work with the rest of the issue, but I'll see if something similar might be workable. Draft 2 is now up!

by **SherpDaWerp** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:09 pm

After sleep and looking at it again, some minor tweaks to make the effect lines better. (some nations have banned beauty pageants so I can't really mention them).
Also re-added Option 2, now as Option 5 for only large retail nations. Draft 3

by **Candlewhisper Archive** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 1:47 am

SherpDaWerp wrote:Description
After a long day repeating your policies to forgetful elderly @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@, the once-forgotten issue of dementia treatment in @@NAME@@ has become a high priority.

Concise is nice, but there's nothing here to make it feel contemporaneous, or to give it any sense of humanity. Maybe make it more poignant?

I'm thinking maybe you're having lunch with a renowned former statesman, and were looking forward to hearing his insights on the current geopolitical situation, but have found that he is having trouble concentrating and retaining information, the effect, he says, of incipient Alzheimer's disease.

Then the first speaker can be the statesman himself expressing dread over the loss of self, and asking you to do something about it.

by **SherpDaWerp** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 3:40 am

Ooh, contemporaneous. I like that word. I agree that "leader is visiting an old folk's home" is a relatively generic staging point for the issue, but I wouldn't have thought of a former statesman. Feedback noted

by **Chan Island** » Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:48 pm

SherpDaWerp wrote:Ooh, contemporaneous. I like that word. I agree that "leader is visiting an old folk's home" is a relatively generic staging point for the issue, but I wouldn't have thought of a former statesman. Feedback noted

You can keep the leader visiting the old folk's home though, by weighing in more on the comedic angle of this description.

by **SherpDaWerp** » Wed Jun 26, 2019 3:29 am

Feedback has been taken on board, and draft 4 is now up!
I've reworked option 1 to be the statesman, and option 2 now is a carer from a random home. The rest is all the same, there wasn't anything to change in them that I could see...

by **Candlewhisper Archive** » Wed Jun 26, 2019 8:28 am

Looking good.

5 options is too many for options this length. Generally if you go to this many options, then each needs to be no more to 1-2 short sentences.

For options of the length you have consider 4 options. With a slight trim to each option, consider 4 options. I think a lot of the options you have feel like they overlap quite closely. Maybe have just one option that is about more government funding, and have 2-3 other options that don't involve government spending at all.

Something like:
1) Spend more on care.
2) Make it easier for immigrant workers to work in the care industry here.
3) Not the states job - people should be reminded that health insurance (and social care insurance) is their own responsibility.
4) Kill 'em.

Also, I'd suggest making the characters sound more as if they have their own voices. Right now most of them feel like they're the same person presenting different arguments. Wwhich is to be expected when they have one author, of course! But if you actively aim to make them sound more distinct, that would improve the issue.

And while I definitely don't think we should play dementia for laughs in a mocking way, we can still have some dementia-based humour occurring as a result of the condition, so long as the humour isn't punching downwards. For example, let me look at option 1 here... Someone with dementia, for example, isn't going to construct long and coherent arguments like that. They'll lose track halfway, or forget the words for things. They probably also won't remember your name.

@@RANDOMMALENAME@@, the statesman with whom you met, expresses his concerns to your aide, who he has mistaken as being in charge. "Son, you don't know how hard it is to live like this. Once upon a time, I would have been running this @@TYPE@@, but now I'm... I'm... What was I saying? Anyway, folk like me need day centres, and help round the house... and more attractive nurses like that cutie over there." He winks in your direction.

He now sounds like he's struggling to keep up, and his dementia is a source of humour, but not laughing down at him, but laughing at the disrespect he's showing to the nation's leader.

Feel free to use that verbatim or to put your own spin. With some sharpening, this could easily be an issue we can carry straight into the game.

by **SherpDaWerp** » Thu Jun 27, 2019 3:09 am

I've cut option 5, and made some tweaks to Candlewhisper's version of option 1.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:@@RANDOMMALENAME@@, the statesman with whom you met, expresses his concerns to your aide, who he has mistaken as being in charge. "Son, you don't know how hard it is to live like this. Once upon a time, I would have been running this @@TYPE@@, but now I'm... I'm... What was I saying? Anyway, folk like me need day centres, and help round the house... and more attractive nurses like that cutie over there." He winks in your direction.

Option 2 is now the aide with a contradictory viewpoint, and option 3 received minor tweaks to try and make it sound like more of a unique viewpoint. I reckon this is polishing off quite nicely!

by **Baggieland** » Sat Jun 29, 2019 5:55 am

SherpDaWerp wrote:the government forgets spending millions of @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ on dementia research

As the option calls for government spending, I suggest:

"the government nearly forgot to finance dementia research"

I also took out the "millions of currency", because for some nations, millions is a lot of money, for other nations millions is a drop in the ocean.

by **Devil Heart** » Sun Jun 30, 2019 4:26 am

Option one. Dignity for people with dementia is vital, I like that this option writes from their perspective.
I do however have a bit of confusion when I read this option. So often people with dementia aren’t aware they have it, while those of us around them are painfully aware. Pride comes in to play as well – it’s probably unlikely an elder statesman would recommend day centre and nursing options for himself.

Ignore, adapt or use - but could the option be written something like this?

@@RANDOMMALENAME@@, the statesman with whom you met, expresses his concerns to a nearby aide, who he appears to have mistaken for you. "Once I ran the @@TYPE@@ of show you’re in charge of, but now I'm... I'm... What was I saying? Oh yes...my memory is in perfect working order, I dare anyone to suggest it isn’t! But some do have problems and need day centres, and help round the house... and more attractive nurses like that cutie over there." He winks in your direction.

by **Candlewhisper Archive** » Mon Jul 01, 2019 9:04 am

Commenting on Draft 5.

Option 2 needs to have a proactive action there, otherwise it's a functional dismiss button. I suggest something along the lines of "Make a statement that..."

It doesn't feel fair for option 3 to be an either/or with option 1, as most people in favour of care for those with dementia are also going to be in favour of more research on it. I suggest adding "more research on the causes and treatment of dementia" onto the list in option 1, just after "help around the house".

Then in place, I think an option 3 that offers a different proactive solution to the care problem is needed. I suggest going with a "family values" option along the lines of "the problem with people these days is a lack of family values -- the elderly ought to be cared for by dutiful children, not be impersonal nursing homes", and then suggesting that people should be made legally responsible for elderly parents, much in the same way as they're responsible for young dependants.

by **SherpDaWerp** » Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:03 am

Draft 6 is now up! A not-so-short summary:

Devil Heart wrote:could the option be written something like this?
@@RANDOMMALENAME@@, the statesman with whom you met, expresses his concerns to a nearby aide, who he appears to have mistaken for you. "Once I ran the @@TYPE@@ of show you’re in charge of, but now I'm... I'm... What was I saying? Oh yes...my memory is in perfect working order, I dare anyone to suggest it isn’t! But some do have problems and need day centres, and help round the house... and more attractive nurses like that cutie over there." He winks in your direction.

Noted, and the new version of Option 1 attempts to capture an element of "not me, I'm fine!".

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:Option 2 needs to have a proactive action there, otherwise it's a functional dismiss button. I suggest something along the lines of "Make a statement that..."

I've added a cut to aged care funding as a proactive suggestion for Option 2.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:I suggest adding "more research on the causes and treatment of dementia" onto the list in option 1, just after "help around the house".

Option 1 is already the longest option, and I feel like adding more in might start to make it a bit clunky. If you think it won't, then I'll give it a shot.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:I suggest going with a "family values" option along the lines of "the problem with people these days is a lack of family values -- the elderly ought to be cared for by dutiful children, not be impersonal nursing homes", and then suggesting that people should be made legally responsible for elderly parents, much in the same way as they're responsible for young dependants.

And Option 3 is now an almost-elderly aunt who wants a return to traditional family values.

Baggieland wrote:As the option calls for government spending, I suggest:

"the government nearly forgot to finance dementia research"

I also took out the "millions of currency", because for some nations, millions is a lot of money, for other nations millions is a drop in the ocean.

Good point actually. My nation, with a net economy in the trillions, could spend this without batting an eye. Unfortunately, there's no longer an effect line for governmental spending, but I'll keep this in mind if that changes.

Devil Heart wrote:could the option be written something like this?
@@RANDOMMALENAME@@, the statesman with whom you met, expresses his concerns to a nearby aide, who he appears to have mistaken for you. "Once I ran the @@TYPE@@ of show you’re in charge of, but now I'm... I'm... What was I saying? Oh yes...my memory is in perfect working order, I dare anyone to suggest it isn’t! But some do have problems and need day centres, and help round the house... and more attractive nurses like that cutie over there." He winks in your direction.

by **Baggieland** » Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:52 am

SherpDaWerp wrote:As he leaves, the aide he was talking to rolls her eyes. "Surely it can't fall to @@NAME@@ to give people like him handouts. If these old farts haven't planned for inevitable cognitive decline, that's their fault. Cut all aged care funding, and if people can't manage, well then I guess it's just too bad."
Validity
All
Outcome
@@CAPITAL@@ has been overtaken by luxury dementia-care homes

The speaker is calling to cut care funding, so how are luxury care homes springing up in the effect line?

by **SherpDaWerp** » Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:26 pm

Whoops, forgot to change that effect line. Done!

by **Candlewhisper Archive** » Fri Jul 05, 2019 4:13 am

The effect lines aren't working that well for me, but they just about pass, will probably rethink them in the edit. #3 seems especially on the nose.

As a whole though, the draft looks definitely of good enough quality to publish. Good work.

by **SherpDaWerp** » Fri Jul 05, 2019 5:20 pm

Definitely agree with that for options 2 and 3, but I kinda like the effect lines for options 1 and 4. Depends on your opinion of killing kids, though.
I'd love to see what you do with them. I guess it's time to submit?

by **Australian rePublic** » Fri Jul 05, 2019 5:27 pm

Good luck

by **TalAkMaChen** » Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:51 am

Congrats, it's online as issue #1248! :clap:

by **Australian rePublic** » Wed Jul 17, 2019 7:55 pm

Congrats!

[SUMBITTED] The Dementia Dilemma

[SUMBITTED] The Dementia Dilemma

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