Events / Activities – Dementia Care Experience & Workshops

Latest Events/Activities

This page lists all current and upcoming events and activities. Dementia Care Experience and Workshops (CIC) collaborates with other dementia organisations not only in the United Kingdom, but also in Africa and many other parts of the world, to raise dementia awareness, particularly in black communities. To find out about any upcoming events, you can also email us at events@decew.co.uk

NEXT EVENT

END OF YEAR MESSAGE OF HOPE

Theme: 2023 looking into 2024

Welcome to Dementia Awareness. Please join us in spreading dementia awareness in our society, together with other dementia organisations. While researchers continue to investigate better care for people living with the condition, as well as better support for those caring for them, it is critical to understand some steps you can take to care for an ageing parent. It is also critical that you understand what to expect, and as studies have shown, someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia every three seconds. As a result, being proactive is preferable to being reactive. We intend to utilise this opportunity to remind everyone that dementia affects approximately 920,000 people in the United Kingdom alone, as well as over 55 million people worldwide and that the numbers are growing. We must continue to increase awareness of dementia, especially in light of recent occurrences. The COVID-19 outbreak impacted everyone, but notably persons with dementia, and the exact extent of the impact on this population remains unknown. We wish to encourage our friends and family to seek treatment if they see inexplicable changes in the behaviour or look of a loved one. We must eliminate the stigma and isolation that come with dementia. We all want to be more aware of dementia, and early detection is crucial in dementia care.

The year 2023 was fantastic for the organisation, and despite the hurdles, we hope that the year 2024 will bring even greater success to our work. We reached out to many families of people living with dementia in 2023, held many workshops to raise dementia awareness, and collaborated with other organisations that not only supported our drive to raise dementia awareness in the diaspora but also in Africa and the United States of America. For example, we supported Sisters/Brothers True Love Group International (SBTLGI), a US-based non-governmental and non-profiting making organisation, tackling homelessness, and supporting widowers, orphans, and overall, the less privileged, not only in America but in Africa as well. DECEW supported many SBTLGI mega-outreaches in Nigeria, notably in Bauchi, Nasarawa, Abia, and River States. DECEW took advantage of the opportunity to raise dementia awareness, and we want to partner with additional groups in 2024 and beyond. We are also collaborating with other groups in Kenya to promote the principles of education for the “Boy Child” while simultaneously using the chance to raise dementia awareness. Overall, partnerships with other groups have opened additional options for identifying more needs of individuals living with dementia in Africa, where dementia is still largely unknown and is frequently misdiagnosed. We recognise that more needs to be done and we will do so in 2024 and beyond. We are confident that 2024 will be another successful year in terms of dementia awareness and other initiatives.

As previously said, in the United Kingdom, we work with many families of individuals living with dementia to help them better understand the needs of their loved ones who have dementia. Much of our work is centred on delivering seminars aimed at identifying requirements prior to a dementia diagnosis, therefore preparing families for the path ahead and the challenges of supporting someone with dementia. We also emphasise the necessity of early diagnosis, the involvement of various professionals in dementia diagnosis, the value of activities for individuals with dementia, the importance of communication in dementia care, and, most crucially, the management of life after a dementia diagnosis. We also promote the role of other dementia organisations and charities that specialise in providing activities for people living with dementia. For example, the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA), Age UK, Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and more. At DECEW, we believe that the battle to understand dementia, is multifaceted, hence, at any given opportunity, we promote the role of dementia organisations that create awareness of the condition and work to support families with people living with the condition.

People of African and Caribbean heritage have played a significant role in global history for ages. Despite this, there is a widespread belief that African and Caribbean organisations, as well as those associated with them, must do more to educate and raise awareness about the benefits of a diverse society, the role of black communities, and the struggles of those communities in places such as the United Kingdom, particularly in health and social care. 2023 however, proved that when people and communities work together, more can be accomplished, even though we recognise that more needs to be done and sustained in the future if we are to break down the barriers that frequently impede social cohesion, diversity, inclusion, and equality, especially in health and social care provisions and specifically in the continent of Africa. We, therefore, call on other voluntary organisations, businesses, NGOs, governments, etc, to see the new year, 2024, as a time to join hands with other dementia organisations to continue to create more awareness of dementia.

We want to use this opportunity to thank our supporters who have continued to support our work despite the challenges of recent years. We also want to thank individuals, too many to name, for their relentless support of our work and our identity. As stated earlier, the battle against dementia cannot be won by organisations “doing their own thing”. We must work together to spread the word beyond our immediate communities, because, although some communities in some countries such as the United Kingdom may be in tune as to what to do before and after a dementia diagnosis, many communities in many countries, do not. Furthermore, in the continent of Africa, there are very few dementia organisations that vigorously promote dementia awareness. We want to identify those that exist, work with them to make dementia diagnosis less stigmatised, and reduce the perception of what “illness” people living with dementia may or may not have. It will not be easy, but we are determined to change the narrative, however small.

As 2023 draws to an end, and we head into a new year, 2024, we want to reassure everyone that we will continue to create more awareness of dementia and we call on anyone who would like to present a case study, collaborate with us, sponsor us, volunteer with us, or just share their experience with dementia, to email us at, chinno@decew.co.uk and events@decew.co.uk. You should also visit our website, www.decew.co.uk and click on the donations page if you want to help the organisation to continue to grow. Your donation enables us to continue our work to increase dementia awareness and understanding. We can make a difference if we work together.

Finally, the Team at DECEW wishes you a glorious festive Christmas, a great end to 2023, and a wonderful, prosperous, peaceful 2024 and beyond. Merry Christmas and see you soon. Stay safe, stay healthy, and #BeDementiaAware.

Thank you.

Chinno Wills-Cole (CEO/Co-Founder)

DECEW and the entire team would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has continued to assist the organisation. We appreciate your unwavering support and look forward to continuing it. We want to break down even more barriers and reach out to more people, especially those from black minority ethnic communities.

If you have any questions, would like to sponsor us, or volunteer with us, please contact us at info@decew.co.uk and events@decew.co.uk. Please visit our donations page if you want to help the organisation grow. Your donation enables us to continue our work to increase dementia awareness and understanding, particularly among black minority ethnic communities and also the general public. We can make a difference if we all work together.

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)