One in three people in Wales will end their lives with dementia

The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales is calling on people to wake up and realise that with one in three in Wales likely to get dementia, the disease is one of the biggest challenges we face.

The warning from Sarah Rochira followed a tour of a new centre of excellence for dementia care that's being built on the site of the former Bryn Seiont community hospital in Caernarfon, in Gwynedd.

The centre, Bryn Seiont Newydd (New Bryn Seiont), will provide 72 residential places, day care and outreach services as well as creating 100 new jobs in the area.

There are also plans for 16 companion living apartments as part of the £7m development by the Pendine Park care organisation.

After visiting the site, Ms Rochira said: “The reality is that one in three of us will end our lives with some form of dementia.

“Dementia really is a game changer for us as individuals but also for our public services and others across Wales. We need to quickly wake up and realise that.

“Dementia is one of the biggest challenges that we face. But it’s really important to remember as well that, challenging as dementia is and I don’t underestimate that, the real thing we need to focus on alongside how we can prevent dementia better, is how we live lives with dementia because of course life is for living.”

She would like to see society doing more to uphold the rights of people with dementia, saying: “People with dementia have a right to live in a place that meets their needs but they have a right to life and laughter and love as well. All the things that matter to us, we should hold dear to those with dementia.”

Ms Rochira carried out a formal review into the quality of life and care of older people in care homes in Wales last year called 'A Place to Call Home'.

Enrichment programmes such as those at Pendine Park with its focus on the arts, are what is needed to improve the quality of people's lives in care homes, as it is an “active based approach, seeing someone with dementia as a huge asset, still with knowledge and personality,” she said.

Mario Kreft, who owns Pendine Park and is also the chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “We really value the Commissioner's input in championing the rights of older people who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

“We are committed to enhancing the quality of life for our residents through our enrichment programme which wholeheartedly embraces the arts as means of reaching out to people.

“Providing care and support to the growing number of people living with dementia in Wales and ensuring that they have the best possible quality of life, both now and in the future, will bring many challenges.”

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