What is dementia?
We are here to help…
An estimated 850,000 people were living with dementia in the UK in 2015, and this figure is estimated to rise to over two million by 2051. These increases are happening as people are living longer. The risk of developing dementia increases with age, but dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing.
Approximately one third of people in the UK living with dementia live in care homes and make up around 70% of the population of those homes. Care homes are where older people are likely to live with more advanced stages of dementia, when their needs for care and support may have reached a level which exceeds those which can realistically be met in their own homes. Furthermore, the majority of people living with dementia reach the end of their lives in care homes in the UK. The National Dementia Strategy was launched by the Department of Health and Social Care in 2009 with three key objectives: improved awareness, earlier diagnosis and intervention, and a higher quality of care.
Did you know:
- Around 2,800 people are living with a diagnosis of dementia in our care homes – about 37% of our residents.
- Many more of our residents will have mild cognitive impairments, indicating possible early signs of dementia, which has not yet been formally diagnosed.
- Every year, we recognise and support the National Dementia Action Week, which aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people living with dementia and their carers.
- Our approach is to focus on the things that residents living with dementia can do and that bring them happiness rather than on things they can no longer do.