World Alzheimer’s Month: Time to Act on dementia

September marks World Alzheimer’s Month. We’re shining a light on this year’s campaign and our ongoing efforts to support dementia research and innovation in our region.

2024 campaign: Time To Act

This year’s theme is ‘Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer’s’. The campaign aims to challenge stigmas and address discrimination that exists towards people with dementia, while also highlighting the positive steps being undertaken by organisations and governments globally to develop a more dementia-friendly society.

The growing challenge of dementia

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. In the UK, one million people are thought to be living with dementia. As our population ages, dementia is becoming a national challenge to our health and care system. This is especially true in the South East region, as Kent, Surrey and Sussex collectively have a higher proportion of older people than other parts of the UK.

Our collaborative approach

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration Kent Surrey Sussex (NIHR ARC KSS) are working together to support a number of studies and innovators that seek to address key challenges of being diagnosed and living with dementia. These range from improving diagnostics and developing treatments through to improving quality of life, addressing inequalities and understanding the needs of people living alone with dementia, plus many other areas.

Partnering with local communities

We recognise the value that that local charities and voluntary organisations have in understanding local need, garnering trust with local communities and providing holistic support to families. Our partnership with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services, Kent’s biggest independent charity, and an award-winning charity – Kent Charity of the Year 2024, exemplifies this approach. ADSS provides support to people affected by dementia.

This World Alzheimer’s Month, ADSS is highlighting their support for Lena, a Polish woman living with dementia. Through their Dementia Coordinator service, ADSS helped Lena access information in Polish, plan for future care and finances, and obtain translation services, medicines management, and befriending support. They also assisted Lena’s daughter in accessing carer support. This case study demonstrates the breadth of challenges faced by non-native English speakers with dementia and showcases ADSS’s comprehensive support in making life with dementia more manageable. You can read the full case study here.

Our work together has focused on delivering and evaluating the Dementia Coordinator Service. This pioneering service, funded by Kent and Medway NHS has ensured that Kent and Medway are one of the first integrated care boards to realise NICE guidelines to have a named professional to support people throughout their experience of dementia. ADSS has also helped evaluate and has been a key implementation partner of the My Choice Booklet.

Kath Sykes Implementation Lead for Living well with Dementia, Health Innovation KSS said “World Alzheimer’s Month reminds us that addressing dementia is not just a medical challenge, but a societal one. Our work focuses on translating leading research into practical support for people living with dementia. Our partnerships with local charities, like Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services, are crucial in this effort – they provide invaluable insights and help us reach those who need support most. Through our work, we’re empowering individuals and families to live well with dementia. It’s time for all of us to act and to create a more dementia-friendly society.”

Supporting people to live well with Dementia

Armed with the right information, people living with dementia (PLWD) and their families can adapt and learn to live well with their condition. However, service providers and PLWD told us they didn’t have access to this information in one place.

My Choice is a resource which aims to provide PLWD access to trusted information immediately following diagnosis and throughout their journey to enable them to adapt and live well with dementia. It is an evidence-based information resource developed by Health Innovation KSS and ARC KSS through a rigorous process involving a literature review, content simplification and co-design with PLWD, dementia support workers and caregivers.

The resource has been rolled out with local service providers and PLWD and is now listed as a trusted resource by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for PLWD and their carers.

Find out more

We’re focused on building a better evidence base around dementia and translating the evidence into real-world practice to address stigma and improve lives. We hope that our work will play a part in empowering PLWD and their families both now and in the future to live full and meaningful lives with this condition.

• For more information about our work on dementia, please visit our Living Well With Dementia web pages.
• For more information about ADSS please visit their website.