15 Jun Tendring Dementia Action Alliance to deliver a dementia friendly, sustainable community
Tendring Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) has been awarded Dementia Friendly Status which empowers it to accredit local businesses and organisations, for the benefit of creating a dementia friendly community in Tendring.
Age Concern Colchester and North East Essex operations team is developing the Tendring DAA to support the work through its Dementia Friends programme to help the communities evolve to meet this need. There are some huge contributions from partners in the NHS, Public, Private and Charity Sectors to drive a movement of positive change across North East Essex. Tendring has the third worst statistics in the country for dementia and the Alliance is working together to change this and make it socially unacceptable to not be dementia-friendly.
Partnering with the NHS and Essex County Council so closely means the impact can grow sustainably. Simon Prestney, CEO of Age Concern Colchester & North East Essex said,
“It is a very natural partnership for Age Concern, Essex County Council and the CCG in relation to Dementia as our goal is to ‘Make Life Better in Later Years’ through improved Health and Wellbeing. We are also extremely grateful for the continued support of Colchester Catalyst towards our work and the sustainability that is provided from multi-year funding. Essex Community Foundation has also invested in us for two years in a row in the key area of befriending and dementia support.”
Dementia is formally diagnosed every 3 minutes and it is estimated that there will be over 1 million people living with the condition by 2021. It is therefore a key health and social care issue for the UK, as well as for the sustainability of businesses and retailers. 1 in every 5 deaths from COVID-19 have been from someone who has dementia.
It is vital that communities recognise the support required and the new accreditation of Tendring Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) will enable it, and Age Concern, to work with local organisations to help form and approve their action plans; and subsequently to award individual towns and ‘Dementia Friendly Communities’. Localised DAA’s will be formed to present for accreditation across Tendring and the team will be on hand to support and guide people to an accredited status at hyper-local level because of the investment from the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.
Local businesses, charities, surgeries, and organisations are encouraged to contact Age Concern to become Dementia Friendly for the social good of their community but also for the sustainability of their business or organisation:
- Enhanced social reputation by being a leader in breaking down exclusion and isolation, ensuring social inclusivity and customer protection
- Empowering and enabling staff with the skills, understanding and confidence to deliver a high-quality service to those with dementia
- Ensuring business sustainability, increased footfall and profits via the ability to serve all segments of society
- Demonstrating a commitment to the local community, customers and their families across the generations
- Working towards the nationally recognised Dementia Friendly Communities kite-mark, and complying with the Equality Act (2010)
