Dementia Friendly Communities (DFC) is a programme which facilitates the creation of dementia-friendly communities across the UK. Everyone, from governments and health boards to the local corner shop and hairdresser, share part of the responsibility for ensuring that people with dementia feel understood, valued and able to contribute to their community.
The Manager and the Dementia Friendly Communities Coordinator from Bradford Alzheimer’s Society will attend the meeting to give a presentation on:
· Introduction and history of DFC work in Bradford
· Background to the project
· Notable successes
· Dementia Friendly Ilkley
· Future objectives
· Ways to support this work including looking at how the council could become dementia friendly.
(Caroline Coombes – 01274 432313)
Minutes:
Dementia Friendly Communities (DFC) is a programme which facilitates the creation of dementia-friendly communities across the UK. Everyone, from governments and health boards to the local corner shop and hairdresser, shares part of the responsibility for ensuring that people with dementia feel understood, valued and able to contribute to their community.
The Manager and the DMC Coordinator from Bradford Alzheimer’s Society attended the meeting and gave a presentation which included the following information:
· A Dementia Friendly Community was:
o One where people living with dementia are supported to live as independently as they can for as long as they can
o Where the community understand about dementia and are willing to lend a hand
o Where businesses, community and statutory organisations have thought about how they make themselves accessible to people with dementia
· Notable successes included:
o 20 Dementia Friendly Communities
o The introduction of Dementia Friendly Council Initiatives
o Three National Dementia Friendly Community Awards and four runner up places
o 12,748 Dementia Friends and 106 Dementia Champions in Bradford
o 138 members formed the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA)
o The Face It Together Group won a Bradford Community Stars Award in 2015
· Examples of best practice include:
o The involvement of people living with dementia in everything we do
o Dementia Friendly Idle – regular Wellbeing Cafés
o Dementia Friendly Keighley – registered charity
o Queensbury Dementia Action Group – Dementia Friends sessions for volunteers, public, schools and GP Surgeries
o Community Leads Network meetings to share best practice across the district
o A thriving DAA
o Work with transport providers leading to improved service provision
o Dementia Conference at Bradford College
· The Challenges include:
o Hard to reach groups
o Geographic gaps
· How the challenges can be overcome:
o By raising awareness in schools
o By having stronger links between Dementia Action Alliance and Dementia Friendly Communities
· Future Objectives agreed by Commissioners:
o To support all departments of Bradford Council to be seen as working towards being dementia friendly
o To ensure the maximum number of communities across Bradford are registered as and are working to become dementia friendly.
o To ensure that there is a best practice model of information sharing between Dementia Friendly Communities, Dementia Action Alliance members and the general public
During the presentation Members were informed that:
· There was a mandatory dementia awareness training module for all new starters in the Council.
· Dementia Friendly awareness talks lasted approximately 45 minutes.
· Training had been carried out with young people from Ilkley Grammar School.
· 30 local businesses in Ilkley had become, or were working towards becoming, Dementia Friendly.
· The University of the Third Age (U3A) Ilkley and District was actively promoting dementia awareness.
· An audit of dementia related activity in Bradford was currently being compiled.
A booklet was tabled entitled ‘Ilkley and District Dementia Friendly Directory of Services and Support’.
A Bradford district resident addressed the Committee and spoke of his own personal experience of being diagnosed with dementia and the work he had been involved in as a member of the Face It Together group to make Bradford more dementia friendly. He spoke of the importance for society to have awareness of how dementia changes lives and how vital it was to have organisations like Face It Together to support people with dementia.
The Ward Officer for Shipley and Wharfedale spoke of the work she had previously undertaken to make Baildon a dementia friendly community, which she was now working to replicate in the Wharfedale ward. She reported that the Burley in Wharfedale Dementia Action Group had good links with a GP surgery in the area which referred people to the group. She stated that events were organised to cater for people with dementia and their carers and that feedback from carers had been immensely positive as they had also been able to form friendship groups with people in similar circumstances. She considered that there was potential for the Council to undertake a better joined up approach to work around dementia.
On behalf of the Director of Health and Wellbeing, the Consultant in Public Health stated that the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Department were committed to continuing dementia friendly work.
Members made the following comments:
· Bradford Talking Media had produced two easy read booklets on the subject of dementia.
· A request was made for the Ward Officer in attendance to assist the Ward Officer for Windhill and Wrose to undertake engagement with the community on dementia friendly awareness in Wrose.
· A ‘dementia friendly walk’ and ‘measured mile’ had been introduced at Harold Park in Low Moor and further work was due to be undertaken to make the park more dementia friendly.
· There was a need to raise awareness that dementia did not just affect elderly people.
· Requested that Members be informed when the audit of dementia related activity in Bradford was available.
· Recommended that an elected Member be appointed as a Dementia Champion for the Council and that all Members receive the Dementia Friends training.
In response to Members’ questions, it was reported that businesses needed to register with Dementia Friends to be recognised as a dementia friendly organisation and the audit of dementia related activity was due to be completed by the end of November 2017.
A discussion took place about the provision of education about dementia in schools. Barriers to accessing schools was raised as an issue and Members were urged to assist with helping to access schools, particularly those they were governors of. It was stated that the Chair would pursue a collective approach through the School Governor Service.
Resolved –
(1) That everyone who attended the meeting to contribute to the presentation be thanked for their input.
(2) That, when the audit of dementia related activity is finalised it be circulated to the Committee through the Chair.
(3) That the Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing be requested to collate information on staff working on dementia related activity across the Council in order to facilitate a more joined up approach.
(4) That it be recommended to Council that it be mandatory for all elected Members to undertake Dementia Friends training.
ACTION: Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing
