Home Instead Senior Care, a local company who provide at-home care for older people in South Lakes and the surrounding area, is running a campaign, Care About Dementia, in support of this year’s Dementia Action Week (DAW) which takes place from 20th – 26th May.
As part of Dementia Action Week, Home Instead will be sharing advice and stories about helping people with dementia to live well using #CareAboutDementia on social media.
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, half of UK adults cannot identify any key risk factors for dementia. Through a national survey, the charity found that only 1% were able to name the known risk factors for dementia which are heavy drinking, genetics, smoking, high blood pressure, depression and diabetes.
Judy Clay, co-owner of Home Instead Senior Care in South Lakes commented on the campaign, “At Home Instead Senior Care, we care about dementia and want to support families and help people live well with it. For us, every week is a dementia awareness week and our trained caregivers know the best ways of helping a person with dementia.”
Fiona Greenwood, a caregiver from Home Instead said, “When people have dementia they can become quiet and might not be able to express themselves verbally. With one of my clients, as I’ve got to know her, I can spot the non-verbal signs like a smile when she hears her favourite song on the radio or a frown usually means she has got a headache and wants some time to herself. It is really important to look for these types of clues.”
Judy continued, “Almost all of us know someone affected by dementia and so we all have a reason to take action and learn more about it. When it comes to fighting dementia, awareness is key and we are passionate about supporting people to live well with it. Please do get in touch if you would like more information.”
With an ageing population, cases of dementia are increasing at an alarming rate, which means that more and more people will be affected by the disease at some point in their lives. 225,000 people will develop dementia this year alone – one every three seconds.
Dementia Action Week is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative designed to unite individuals, workplaces and the wider community to take action and improve the lives of people living with dementia.
To find out more about Home Instead and the services they provide, call 01539 267220 or visit https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/southlakes.
