Age UK Enfield trustee Nicola Hyde on how the borough is helping support people living with dementia

Enfield Dementia Network members at Saturday’s event

As at 2020, 5% of adults over 65 in Enfield have been diagnosed with dementia – the highest prevalence in London, and higher than the rate for England.

These are alarming stats and much is being done to address the situation in making Enfield ‘dementia friendly’.

On Saturday (18th), Age UK Enfield co-hosted an event with Chickenshed Theatre as part of Enfield Dementia Network’s programme of activities to support Dementia Action Week (DAW).

DAW is a nationwide awareness week and this year’s focus was the importance of timely diagnosis and the workshop explored people’s thoughts and feelings about dementia through creativity, discussions and movement.

Rachel Yates, creative director of Space Between Us Project and founder of Gladrags, is a finalist for the illustrious Dementia in Care Award for her intergenerational work with Age UK Enfield, to be held on 13th June in central London.

The session incorporated a screening of Let’s Dance Again made by local filmmaker Donna Marie. This short film highlights how learning about the person with dementia’s interests you can bridge any communication difficulties. Donna Marie hopes the film would help care staff and families alike with education.

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The workshop was also supported by Michelle Reshaf, of Dementia Prevention UK, who encouraged participants to take action to reduce their risks of developing dementia.

Alison Carter Albert, who is from Age UK Enfield and co-chair of Enfield Dementia Network, said: “The event was a tremendous success and opened the door for more discussions and we are very excited for next steps.

“We’re delighted to be working with Local Motion Enfield to continue these explorative conversations so we can work together to make Enfield a dementia friendly borough.”

There are currently around one million people living with dementia in the UK, but this is set to rise to 1.6 million by 2040 as people live for longer.

For more information about becoming a member of the Enfield Dementia Network:
Visit ageukenfield.org.uk

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