About us – Dementia Care Experience & Workshops

Our Mission

Dementia Care Experience and Workshops (CIC) is geared towards creating more awareness of dementia through workshops, especially within the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities. The organisation also focuses on highlighting available services and activities for supporting people living with dementia, and products designed specifically for people living with the condition.

Through our workshops, the organisation also aim to create awareness of the needs of carers of people living with dementia and the activities to support them as they care for their loved ones. The organisation promotes person-centred and personalised care plans for people living with dementia through a comprehensive assessment of needs.

The organisation does not only host workshops at care homes, day centres, GP surgeries, colleges, hospitals, schools, recreational centres, and many other institutions to promote an open discussion about dementia, but also assist and direct individuals towards services that supports people living with dementia, most importantly encouraging friends and family members to seek help if they suspect their loved one exhibit symptoms of dementia.

Our workshops equally aim to highlight the need to facilitate a smooth transition from residential homes and hospitals to care facilities with quality dementia care in a dementia-friendly environment.

Dementia is a serious condition for which there is currently no cure, but there is hope. Research is being conducted all over the world to find new treatments and ways to slow the progression of the condition. Dementia can interfere with many aspects of a person’s life, making it difficult to function normally. Memory, concentration, thinking, judgement, behaviour, and other skills are examples of these areas. These impairments frequently occur in conjunction with changes in emotional control, social behaviour, or motivation.

Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, Frontotemporal dementia and Mixed dementias are the most common types of dementia. Over 920,000 people in the UK are estimated to have dementia, with this figure expected to rise to over one million by 2024, and more than 25,000 are from the black and minority ethnic people. (Alzheimer’s Society, 2014).

It is estimated that 50 million people worldwide live with dementia, with nearly 60 percent of those living in low and middle income countries such as Africa. Each year, nearly 10 million new cases of dementia are diagnosed, and the estimated proportion of the general population aged 60 and over with dementia at any given time is between 5 to 8 percent. The number of people diagnosed with dementia is expected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050. A large portion of this increase can be attributed to the growing number of people living with dementia in low and middle income countries.

Dementia Care Experience and Workshops will be working very closely with manufacturers of different types of dementia care products, for example, beddings and accessories such as waterproof mattress protectors, washable absorbent bed pads, and others. We will also promote other products, for eating and drinking such as droplet intelligent hydration systems, easy grip mugs, and many others.

We will also promote the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the care of people living with dementia, as well as conduct research to raise awareness of dementia care in general, with a focus on the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities. On a broader scale, DECEW continues to advocate for increased dementia awareness not only in the United Kingdom, but also in Africa, where dementia diagnosis is so low that the condition is frequently misdiagnosed as a mental health condition.

COVID-19 and DEMENTIA

People living with dementia require additional support, particularly at this time, and because they are among the most vulnerable members of society, they are prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine. If you are a caregiver or a relative of a person living with dementia, you may want to prepare and support them in getting their vaccination, which can be done in their own home if they are still living at home, or in a care home.

The vaccine is not compulsory, but it is strongly advised, especially for those at high risk of infection. There should be consideration of how the Mental Capacity Act (2005) supports a person living with dementia in making decisions that affect them, and their Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for health and welfare should be aware of the vaccination processes and, as a result, consider steps to support them in being vaccinated in accordance with government guidelines and regulations.

For more information on Covid-19 and Dementia, vaccination and more, visit, www.dementiauk.org, www.alzheimers.org.uk, the government website www.gov.uk/coronavirus and www.nhs.uk

All updates are made in accordance with government regulations. Visit the official UK government website for data and insights on coronavirus (Covid-19)

Feedback

I feel organisations such as yours will greatly improve societal understanding of dementia especially in the BAME communities. Thank you for your work.
– Akim (Northern Ireland)

I have to say, looking back to the struggles we went through taking care of my late grandmother, organisations such as yours would have put it into perspective what it is like to care for someone you love who lived with dementia but the family were not aware of this at the time. May God bless your efforts and your vision.
– Jasmine (SW London)

I cannot express highly enough how glad I am to see what you and your organisation is trying to do. Africa and particularly the West would benefit from organisation such as yours and I truly believe that so many families and even other dementia care originations and service providers will benefit immensely from the vision you are putting out. The British are lucky. I must say, well done and please do keep up the good work and I hope one day this vision will also happen in Africa.

– Bimbola (Ogun State, Nigeria)

Congratulation to you and your team on a wonderful vision. Well done.

– Big Joe (South London, UK)

This is wonderful. May God guide your work.

– Alasine, (Freetown, Sierra Leone)

I have to say, your workshops on caring for carers has been an eye-opener. Caring for my wife who has dementia has been a big challenge, not just for me but for my entire family. What I have learnt from your workshops, has already made a positive impact on my health. I now know when to stop and take a break and I also now know how to deal with her behaviours which can be challenging some times. So thank you so much and keep up the good work.

– Mr P Mohamed (Ealing, UK)

I cannot speak highly enough of your organisation and the work you are doing so far. Your workshops on stress reduction techniques have been remarkable. I can now control my stress levels and I have learnt to be in control of my emotions as I care for my mum who has Alzheimer’s.

– Ms Janet (Hounslow, UK)

A huge thank you to dementia care experience and workshops, and the founders for this wonderful initiative and for having this vision to promote the awareness of dementia especially in our community, the black and minority ethnic group.

– Alhaj Dinpa (London)

I believe dementia care experience and workshops is such a great addition to the drive to educate our people about dementia. I have heard about dementia in the past but I was not very clear about the disease and have so little to say about it. However, through your organisation, and what I have read and seen about your aim of launching dementia care experience and workshops, I am beginning to understand more about this illness that some of our people do not often want to talk about.

– Ms Takyi (London)