Further investment given to dementia friendly communities in Scotland
In so many areas of life a population base of 5 million makes it far easier to work together and this is reflected in brilliant thinking and doing north of the border like this. We need some of this action in England!
In 2015, the Life Changes Trust initially funded 12 dementia friendly communities over three years which have now developed into a further 82. To date, more than 3,400 people with dementia and 2,000 carers have directly benefited from being part of a dementia friendly community.
These communities provide a structure and culture that make it possible for people affected by dementia to do things that matter to them, remain integrated and active in their own communities and participate in decisions that affect their day-to-day lives.
This new investment of £2.5million will support 14 new communities, as well as providing some longer-term support for previously funded communities.
Scotland is leading the way in understanding how communities that are dementia friendly work best.
As well as providing information, support and opportunities, they draw on the abilities that people with dementia still have so they can contribute to their communities. They currently involve people with dementia aged from 39 to 104.
Current projects include:
- Stornoway – people with dementia in care homes have been sharing their knowledge of local stories, anecdotes and now-unused objects in order to preserve local history and leave a legacy for the local community, museums and researchers.
- A dementia friendly musical theatre community is run by Centrestage in Kilmarnock.
- Glasgow Film Theatre is offering monthly “Movie Memories” film screenings to make sure that people with dementia are not excluded from the cinema-going community.
- The British Deaf Association is raising awareness of living with hearing loss and dementia, providing resources.
- Table Tennis Scotland supports people with dementia so they can still keep playing the sport they love or take it up as a new way of keeping fit.
- New funding was also awarded to Scottish Ballet, Regional Screen Scotland, Edinburgh Leisure, Dementia Friendly Highlands, Dementia Orkney, the Forget-Me-Not Club in Banchory, Dementia Friendly Uists, Dementia Friendly Pentlands, Stirling and Forth Valley Dementia Friendly Neighbourhoods and care home communities in East Ayrshire and Kelso.