As part of their ongoing commitment to Health and Wellbeing, our partner, National Association of Local Councils (NALC), has launched a new guide on dementia-friendly communities in partnership with the University of Plymouth (UoP).
Backed by the prime minister, the guide aims to help parish and town councils support people living with dementia in their communities. The document contains a wide range of resources, including case studies, recommendations and statistics. It also has a message from Gary Streeter MP who has supported turning South West Devon into a dementia-friendly constituency.
NALC believes that local councils can play a large role in supporting those in their communities with dementia by providing quality social care through social interaction and support groups. Councils can support people with dementia by becoming ‘Dementia friends’ and a Dementia-friendly community.
To read the guide, please click here: Dementia-Friendly Communities – NALC
Before writing up the guide, NALC surveyed England’s 10,000 local councils between January and May 2020 to find out what steps they have taken to support people living with dementia in their communities. This research provided the grounds for the publication.
Cllr Sue Baxter, NALC chairman, said: “It’s great to launch this new dementia publication. It highlights the role that local councils can make in levelling-up their communities and supporting the most vulnerable in our society. I hope that it gives local councils the confidence to make changes in their communities.”
Dementia – What can councils do?
NALC’s guide features a lot of helpful information and advice for town and parish councils to make their communities more ‘dementia friendly’.
What is a dementia-friendly community?
The Alzheimer’s Society describes a dementia-friendly community as “…a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported.
“In a dementia-friendly community people will be aware of and understand dementia, so that people with dementia can continue to live in the way they want to and in the community they choose.”
NALC’s guide will help councils to work on:
- Shaping communities around the views of people with dementia and their carers
- Challenging stigma and building awareness
- Ensuring that activities include people with dementia
- Empowering people with dementia and recognising their contribution
- Ensuring early diagnosis, personalised and integrated care is the norm
- Befrienders helping people with dementia engage in community life
- Maintaining independence by delivering community- based solutions
- Appropriate transport
- Easy to navigate physical environments
- Businesses and services that respond to customers with dementia
To read the guide, please click here: Dementia-Friendly Communities – NALC
We are proud to be partnered with NALC, find out more about our partnership here.
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