Trust is Championing Dementia Awareness
As Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust moves forward with its plans to become a Dementia friendly organisation, staff from its Dementia Pathway Service are enrolling as many staff members as possible to become ‘Dementia Friends’
‘Dementia Friends’ is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative, run in partnership with Public Health England which aims to transform the way the nation thinks about the condition and to create more dementia friendly communities and organisations.
Trust Board members and other senior managers have already completed dementia awareness training - learning about the condition and how to improve services for people living with dementia.
Dementia is a condition affecting 850,000 people in the United Kingdom, with numbers expected to reach 1 million by 2020 and the Partnership Trust is committed to ensuring its workforce are able to provide the best possible care to local people living with dementia.
The last few weeks have seen the Trust recruit large numbers of staff as Dementia Friends, with several going on to complete more intensive training to become ‘Dementia Champions’.
A Champion is a volunteer who encourages others to make a positive difference for those living with dementia, by organising information sessions in their communities and workplaces. These sessions provide information about the personal impact of dementia and what small actions can be taken to make a positive difference. It is also envisaged that each Champion will be able to recruit a 100 Dementia friends as part of their commitment.
Local care for people with dementia
The Trust provides a range of invaluable services which help and support local people with dementia and their carer’s. These services include assessment, diagnosis, treatment and post diagnostic support and crisis intervention, but he Trust also works closely with key partners such as the Alzheimer’s Society, across Coventry and Warwickshire to help support carers and people in the first stages of dementia to live healthier lifestyles.
Sian Watkin, Team Leader said: “It’s really important that people living with dementia and of course their carer’s, to stay fit and healthy to enable them to cope with the challenges of living well with dementia.
“With more people receiving an early diagnosis of dementia, maintaining or improving their overall health and wellbeing is an important part of restricting the progression of the condition.
“Dementia is not a natural part of ageing as it is caused by diseases of the brain. It’s not just about losing your memory either, as dementia can affect many other personal functions.
“We should always remember there is more to a person than their diagnosis and despite the challenges this brings, it is possible to live well with dementia, given the right support”.
You can find out more about the trust’s dementia services and the free support on offer for local people at www.covwarkpt.nhs.uk
For further information visit www.alzheimers.org.uk or dementiafriends.org.uk