Special event marks the difference York’s dementia strategy has made in first year

The strategy has five key themes: Preventing Well, Diagnosing Well, Supporting Well, Living Well and Dying Well. Activities to support the themes held over the past year include:

• referrals have increased to the NHS’s Memory Service from 60 pre-pandemic to 85-90 per month. This means people can receive support earlier while they are waiting for their assessment
• over 1,000 people are now on Dementia Forward’s active caseload and are receiving support.
• a new weekly Brain Health Café run by Dementia Forward at Acomb Garth Community Care Centre has up to 18 people attending each week
• An integrated health and social care service providing advice, guidance and information, held at the café at the Acomb Garth Community Care Centre
• Free, weekly, seated, dementia-friendly exercise classes delivered by York Learning at Marjorie Waite Court.

The event will also support the themes with staff from local health and social care, community and voluntary organisations on hand to offer a wide range of information, advice and support including:

• training sessions for both carers and professionals
• taster class of seated dance and stretch exercise
• music therapy, arts and crafts sessions
• iMUSE therapeutic sensory experience…and more!

Councillor Jo Coles, Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care at City of York Council, said: “It’s really important we keep up our focus on dementia and dementia support for residents and their carers and families across the city. In particular access to preventative advice, earlier diagnosis and good support means people living with dementia, their carers and families have a better quality of life, for longer. Thank you to all our partners across the city. We’re determined to do what we can, within the financial constraints that we face, to continue to improve the support that’s available.”

Denise Nightingale, Director of Nursing Mental Health, Continuing Healthcare & Complex Care, Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership said: “The one-year anniversary of our dementia strategy provides a perfect opportunity to shine a light on work underway to improve the experience of people with dementia and their family and carers.

“The strategy is built on extensive contributions from people within our community and provides a solid framework to help identify how we can provide the best possible support and care for people with dementia and to help organisations deliver improvements to their dementia services, address health inequalities and deliver a shared vision across York.

“The strategy is a live document and is regularly reviewed to ensure we are making the most positive impact we can.”

Jamaila Hussain, Corporate Director at City of York Council and chair of the Dementia Steering Group, said: “Over the last 12 months we have worked with partners, carers and people living with dementia to ensure we deliver the aspirations of the Dementia Strategy and the clear actions that were agreed.

“We have worked in partnership with health, community and voluntary sector providers to deliver care and support through our dementia hubs. We will continue to work with carers, families and people who use our services to continue all the great work that has been completed so far.”

For those who cannot attend the event itself, please join online on Thursday 28 September with updates from Dementia Forward, and York Alzheimer’s Society, and a Community Spotlight on Dementia. There’ll also be updates from York Carers’ Centre and St Leonard’s Hospice.

For more information on support and activities, visit www.livewellyork.co.uk/dementiatogether .