Warwickshire pledges support for better dementia care
Organisations from across social care, health and the voluntary sector have united to back Warwickshire’s first strategy to improve the lives of people living with dementia.
Warwickshire’s Dementia Champion, Cllr Jose Compton, launched the county’s “Living well with dementia” strategy at an event which joined together more than a hundred people ranging from lead consultants to social workers, and housing staff to carers. All sectors gave their commitment to improve services and transform lives for those with dementia and their carers over the next four years.
The dementia strategy is the work of Warwickshire County Council and NHS Warwickshire and sets out four broad themes to underpin improvements in the treatment and care of people with dementia.
The strategy was further endorsed by Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet at its meeting today (17 March 2011).
The themes include early diagnosis of the condition, ensuring there are joined up plans to support people throughout the life course of their illness, and increasing opportunities for those with the condition and their carers to lead more fulfilled lives. It also emphasises the importance of better public understanding of dementia.
Cllr Jose Compton, Dementia Champion and Chairman of Warwickshire County Council, said: “Dementia is one of the biggest challenges facing social care and health in Warwickshire. Around 7,000 people in Warwickshire have the condition and we expect that number to increase by 34% over the next decade. The strategy sets out very real improvements that we can make within our expected budgets over the next four years to improve quality of life and health for people with dementia and their families.”
The strategy comes at a time when the Government is launching a national campaign to raise awareness of the early signs of dementia and to encourage those at risk to get an early diagnosis.
John Linnane, Director of Public Health for NHS Warwickshire and Warwickshire County Council, says: “Early identification of the symptoms of dementia is vitally important in ensuring we can support dementia patients and their carers. This strategy is a significant step forward to enable us to improve our support for dementia patients across Warwickshire."
Another key issue highlighted by Warwickshire’s strategy is the importance of keeping hospital stays for people with dementia to a minimum and ensuring patients are supported to return to life in their own home wherever possible.
Warwickshire has long been recognised for its work in addressing dementia and since June 2009, the county council has taken part in a Department of Health dementia adviser service pilot in partnership with the local Alzheimer’s Society and Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust.
The success of the Dementia Adviser Service is truly measured in the impact it has on lives of people living with dementia and their carers. Dementia Advisers provide a much-needed source of information and are responsible for giving personalised support to people throughout the illness from the point of diagnosis.
If you or a member of your family are living with dementia or have any concerns about memory problems and would like further information and support please contact the Alzheimer’s Society Warwickshire Branch on 01926 888899.