Dementia Friendly Communities programme exceeds Prime Minister's expectations

Over 60 towns and cities have pledged to become Dementia Friendly Communities, more than triple the expectation first set out in the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia.

Exceeding expectations

David Cameron’s initial ambition was to have 20 communities working to be dementia friendly by 2015, however the Alzheimer’s Society announced the number of communities engaged with the programme has now exceeded the first goal by more than three times.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Living well with dementia is made easier by the consideration, respect and support of dementia-friendly communities – which is why I’m delighted so many are getting involved and showing their support.

“More research, improving the diagnosis rate and better care and support is vital, and our funding for dementia research will reach more than £66m by 2015. Just as important are the changes we need to make as a society to tackle stigma and increase understanding.”

Dementia friendly status

Dementia friendly status can be achieved by cities, towns and villages which ensure people with dementia are respected, supported and given the confidence to contribute to community life.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer's Society said:

“The dedication we have seen from towns working to become dementia-friendly is truly inspiring. A diverse range of projects across the country are working to help people with dementia remain independent and active in their local communities. Alzheimer's Society is keen to motivate more towns and businesses to start on this journey of change.”

For the community

Action that has been taken so far includes training for members of staff in high street shops to teach techniques on how to assist and interact with people with dementia, and the Museum of Liverpool’s launch of its 'House of Memories,' where reminiscence training is being provided for people in the community.

Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Erica Kemp said: “I am asking people in Liverpool to become a Dementia Friend. I'd love to have a Dementia Friend in every road and street in our city. We encourage other cities UK-wide to get involved in becoming dementia-friendly, making sure their city is accessible to people with the condition.”

Another project is educating the Sikh community about dementia in Bradford, and a nationwide scheme is using reminiscence about sports moments to engage people with dementia.

Research suggests £11,000 per person could be saved every year by dementia friendly communities through helping people living with dementia to stay independent and out of care for longer.

Code of practice

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has started working with Alzheimer’s Society to develop a code of practice for all communities working towards dementia friendly status to use as a benchmark to aspire to.

Anne Hayes, head of market development for governance, resilience and healthcare at BSI said:“This new Code of Practice for dementia-friendly communities will represent a ground-breaking move towards raising understanding of this condition across society. It not only complements Alzheimer's Society's recognition process and Dementia Friends initiatives, but also provides a continuously improving process pathway for lasting change which embeds dementia-friendliness into society.

“It will help to change public perceptions, provide new support and an improved quality of life for the increasing number of UK citizens who are living with the condition.”