Transcript Title page: point 42-44, depending on length,bold Arial

Getting dementia: the housing challenge
Jeremy Hughes, Alzheimer’s Society
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alzheimers.org.uk
Dementia: A national priority
• Dementia costs the UK:
£23 billion per annum
2/3 live in the community:
• majority mainstream housing
• some specialist housing
• 1/3 of people with dementia
live alone in the community
• 550,000 carers of people with
dementia in England
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alzheimers.org.uk
What do people with dementia want?
National Dementia Declaration
•
I have personal choice and control or influence over decisions about me
•
I know that services are designed around me and my needs
•
I have support that helps me live my life
•
I have the knowledge and know-how to get what I need
•
I live in an enabling and supportive environment where I feel valued and understood
•
I have a sense of belonging and of being a valued part of family, community and civic
life
•
I know there is research going on which delivers a better life for me now and hope for
the future
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What do people with dementia want from housing?
‘ We were living in a house that wasn’t suitable for my wife’s medical
needs. We had stairs and she can’t walk up the stairs. The stairs
were really murdering and that’s why we got the bungalow’
Carer of person with dementia in rented mainstream housing
‘I don’t want to put her in a care home. I want to stay with her for as
long as possible. To part with her; I couldn’t do that. Unless it came
to something serious and I couldn’t look after her’
Carer of person with dementia in owner-occupied housing
‘I’ve got Parkinson’s and my wife has Alzheimer’s. The reason we
came here was me getting Parkinson’s, not my wife getting
Alzheimer’s’
Carer of person with dementia in owner occupier specialist housing
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alzheimers.org.uk
Home truths report recommendations
1. Recognition that housing and housing services are effective
mechanisms of supporting people with dementia in the community
2. There should be a choice of housing options for people with dementia
3. People with dementia and their carers should have access to
information on housing options, services and sources of funding
adaptations.
4. People with dementia should have access to homes designed around
their needs
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Successes
•
Further evidence on the role of housing and supporting people with dementia
•
Housing sector recognised as a key partner in Prime Minister’s challenge on
dementia
•
Housing and dementia group established at Department for Communities
and Local Government.
•
Housing playing an important role in the development of Dementia Friendly
Communities
•
Many housing organisations demonstrating innovation in supporting people
with dementia
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Riverside Home Improvement Agency (HIA)
•
HIA help people with dementia live safely in their own homes for
longer through intelligent design and adaptation
•
HIA retro-decorate people’s homes to promote well-being
• Transistor radios
• 1960s holiday posters
• Mid-century chairs
•
Use simple design principles to support people to maintain routine and
live independently for longer
• Open-fronted drawers
• Glare-free lighting
• Re-organising mirrors
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alzheimers.org.uk
Challenges for housing
Future proofing new housing and adapting existing stock
•
Lifetime Homes design guidance could incorporate guidance on
dementia.
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Lifetime homes standards could be added to building regulations.
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Existing housing stock should be adapted to ensure it is appropriate
for people with dementia.
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alzheimers.org.uk
Challenges for housing
Assistive technology
•
Technological solutions mean people with dementia can remain
independent for longer
•
New housing could be built with technology imbedded or easily
installed
•
Technology can be used to improve existing housing stock
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Challenges for housing
Workforce skilling
•
Staff should have access to training appropriate to their role
•
Housing providers should work with health and social care providers
to deliver integrated training
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Looking to the future
•
Integration with health and social care
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Early diagnosis and intervention
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Dementia Friendly Communities
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Dementia Friendly Communities
www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiafriendlycommunities
Loneliness
Loneliness
Housing 21: peer support for people with dementia
•
Housing 21 are running peer support groups to tackle social isolation
and improve wellbeing
•
Peer support groups run for people in the early stages of dementia in
three Housing 21 extra care schemes in London
•
Residents in these schemes live in assisted living housing
developments
•
Group members learn practical coping strategies to increase
independent living skills
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Dementia Action Alliance
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Dementia Friends
• Helping to create
more dementiafriendly
communities.
• One million
Dementia Friends
by 2015.
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alzheimers.org.uk
Thank you
Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive, Alzheimer’s Society
www.alzheimers.org.uk
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alzheimers.org.uk