Towards a dementia friendly Hull

Mark Gretton and Joanne Hatfield have been contracted by Hull City Council to survey people living with dementia and their carers about their lives and activities in the city of Hull and what they believe Hull needs to be a more dementia friendly city.

Mark Gretton

“Dementia friendly communities” are a key element of the government’s strategy to tackle dementia. The aim is to support people living with dementia by increasing awareness of dementia amongst the community at large. This includes a focus on certain key areas of contact, such as those provided by emergency, health and social care services, but also on day-to-day activities where people with dementia may have difficulties; going shopping, using public transport, and leisure activities including visiting restaurants and pubs.

Mark and Joanne have collected completed surveys from 103 Hull respondents (57 people with dementia and 46 carers) and presented their initial findings at the Hull Older Person’s Event at the Mercure Hull Royal Hotel on Wednesday 12^th March. This event, reported in the Hull Daily Mail, was sponsored by Hull City Council and opened and attended by Councillor Helena Spencer, the council’s portfolio holder for Prevention & Safeguarding Children & Young People and Adults. The council intends to use information from this work to inform its strategy on dementia and in particular its work on creating a dementia friendly city, which is being done in conjunction with the Yorkshire and Humber Dementia Action Alliance.

The Faculty of Health and Social Care will receive £18,701 for this work.