Nottingham City Council is supporting Dementia Action Week by working with partners to make the city more dementia-friendly.
As a World Health Organisation Age Friendly City and a member of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Dementia Action Alliance, the City Council is helping to raise awareness during Dementia Action Week from 20-26 May 2019.
Dementia Action Week is organised by the Alzheimer’s Society. The theme this year is about conversations and is encouraging people to take action by starting a conversation with someone living with dementia they know; whether it’s calling a relative with dementia or visiting a neighbour, it’s time to start talking.
As well as NHS services, the city has good examples of activities that have been adapted for people with dementia and their carers:
- The Oaks residential home for people living with dementia created a special ‘pub’ in their day room in St Ann’s to help residents connect with the past and give that feeling of ‘going out for a pint’
- At some council leisure centres, there are dementia friendly swimming sessions
- The Theatre Royal and Concert Hall, the Nottingham Playhouse and cinemas such as the Broadway and the Showcase hold special performances
- St Andrew’s, on Mansfield Road, was the first dementia friendly church in the diocese and others are following
- In addition to the ‘Reading Well’ dementia books and resources, local libraries hold a selection of memory bags containing themed collections of picture books, photographs, jigsaws, DVDs, music etc. which are free to borrow
- Radford Care Group offer day care and friendship groups, some of which include singing and creative activities. They also offer a dementia information programme especially designed for carers.
The City Council also works with the NHS in Nottingham and the Carers Trust to provide support for people who care for someone with dementia through:
- Carers Hub provides a single point of contact offering information, advice & support, including statutory Carers Assessments and support plans where required as per The Care Act 2014, group and individual support, carers wellbeing support, and working proactively with health care and social care professionals to increase understanding of the importance of supporting carers. The Carers Hub supported over 1,800 carers in 2018/19.
- Carers Respite offers a single inclusive respite service providing timely breaks for carers, to prevent carer breakdown, ensure that carers are supported to remain in their caring role, and prevent avoidable crises. The service includes occasional, emergency, End of Life care or regular planned respite for carers of citizens unable to access respite through Adult Social Care, and provided respite for over 280 carers in 2018/19.
Cllr Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Health, HR and Equalities in Nottingham, said: “It’s important that we do as much as we can to make our city dementia friendly. This will help to increase everyone’s understanding about dementia and hopefully people with dementia and their carers can be more empowered, supported and included in society.
“We hope that aiming to be dementia friendly will build on the success of our Age Friendly work in Nottingham. In the city, we have over 300 locations that have signed up to ‘Take a Seat’ and committed to have a chair available should someone need to sit down for a few minutes to catch their breath. As part of the initiative, dementia friendly retail guidance has also been provided for participating premises.”
Age Friendly Nottingham will be hosting its annual Ageing Well Day on the Old Market Square on Tuesday 11 June between 10am and 3pm, with over 30 information stalls for people aged 50+. As part of the day, Age UK Notts will be showcasing the Sybil Levin Wellbeing Centre in the Council House. There will be an opportunity to see how Age UK support people to live well with dementia – through their Rempods, a range of reminiscence tools and lots more.
More information on activities and services available to people with dementia and their families and carers can be found at Ask LiON here.
More information on ‘Take a Seat’ and the Ageing Well Day is available from www.healthandwellbeing@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
More information about Dementia Action Week can be found at www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-action-week