Nottingham City Council is proud to support Dementia Action Week (15-21 May), a nationwide event dedicated to raising awareness of dementia
Dementia Action Week is an annual campaign organised by the Alzheimer’s Society. As a World Health Organisation (WHO) Age Friendly City and a member of Dementia Action Nottingham & Nottinghamshire (DANN), the City Council is helping to raise awareness of this year’s theme which aims to help encourage individuals and their families to recognise the symptoms and seek diagnosis to avoid reaching crisis point.
Dementia is not a natural part of ageing and is caused when a disease damages nerve cells in the brain. The word ‘dementia’ is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
The symptoms may be relatively mild at first, but they get worse over time and include:
- memory loss
- confusion and needing help with daily tasks
- problems with language and understanding
- changes in behaviour.
In Nottingham, over 2000 people were on the Dementia register (2021/22) and in 2022, the estimated dementia diagnosis rate (aged 65 and over) in Nottingham City was 77.8%, higher than both the National and East Midlands average.
Women unfortunately have a greater risk of developing dementia during their lifetime.
Recognising the signs and getting a diagnosis is really important, to enable those living with dementia, their families and carers to access the vital support they need. Memory loss and diagnosis information, including a checklist to help people describe their symptoms to a GP or health professional, are on the Alzheimer’s Society’s website: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis
A number of events are taking place in Nottingham throughout the week in support of this year’s campaign. They include:
- Dementia Friends Information Sessions on Tuesday 16 May at 12.30pm and 2.30pm at Royal Concert Hall.
- Dementia Information drop-in session on Tuesday 16 May, 1pm-4pm, at Clifton Library.
- Memories of Nottingham Coffee morning on Wednesday 17 May, 10am-12pm at Wollaton Library.
- Titanic: The Musical, captioned performance on Friday 19 May at 7.30pm at the Theatre Royal.
To find out more about these events and if booking is required, visit: www.nottinghamcitylibraries.co.uk/dementia-action-week-2023/
Sara Storey, Director of Adult, Health & Social Care at Nottingham City Council said, “Becoming forgetful doesn’t always mean you have dementia, but if you are concerned, it’s really important that you can recognise the signs, and talk to a GP or healthcare professional about it. It might be really daunting, but it’s always better to know, so you can start to access the support you need for yourself or someone else.”
The Alzheimer’s Society local Dementia Wellbeing Service, offers support to anyone affected by dementia. The service is free.
More information on activities and services available to people with dementia and their families and carers, can be found at www.asklion.co.uk, search for ‘dementia’.
More information about Dementia Action Week can be found at www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-action-week