Dementia-friendly communities

There are many projects across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to support local communities to become better places for people with dementia and their families and friends to live. The key organisations involved in these projects are:

Projects to create dementia-friendly communities in Bristol include:

  • The 'Active Together for Dementia' project aims to help people living with dementia continue to participate in activities they enjoy such as walking, swimming, cycling or going to the gym with the support of a volunteer. Find out more here.
  • Bristol Dementia Action Alliance have been working with Bristol International Airport to make it dementia friendly.
  • Growing support have been working with community gardens to help make them more inclusive of people with dementia and their carers. Read a report on this work here.
  • Setting up a Bristol steering group which meets regularly
  • The Bristol Royal Infirmary have made changes to ward 4, the medical assessment unit to make it more dementia-friendly
  • Vicki Graham at Filton Leisure Centre, has created a weekly dementia-friendly swimming session "Swim Relief" at Filton Leisure Centre ('Dolphin Pool')
  • Dementia friendly swimming in pools across Bristol. Here's a short film about this work:

Projects in South Gloucestershire include:

  • Creative Cafés welcome older people and those with memory loss. These free cafes are held in Patchway and Staple Hill libraries during term-times with a range of fun and gentle arts activities including music, writing, crafts and more. No experience of art needed! More details of times here and a form to register to attend is here
  • South Gloucestershire Dementia Action Alliance is now led by Winsome Barrett-Muir ( winsomebmuir@southernbrooks.org.uk) of Southern Brooks Community Partnership, based at Coniston Community Centre. Her work is funded by South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and Council. Winsome supports people looking to raise awareness of dementia and develop community support, especially in Kingswood and amongst our BME communities. Her colleague Debbie Woolley ( debbiewoolley@southernbrooks.org.uk) is funded by the local Town Council to work in Yate. She also works with people with young onset dementia
  • Priorities have been shaped through consultation with local people affected by dementia
  • The Patchway Dementia Action Alliance steering group now includes Patchway Town Council, a business representative and a carer
  • More than 50 local companies, community groups, voluntary and statutory organisations signed up to the Dementia Action Alliance
  • A monthly Memory Café has been established, staffed by volunteers and supported by the Alzheimer's Society
  • Input to Rodway Road shops streetscene work and local planning guidance to help make the environment more 'dementia friendly'
  • Dementia Friends information sessions delivered to more than 100 people
  • An event in to consider the impact of this and other local initiatives, such as South Gloucestershire Council's Precious Time, and the lessons for the future for Patchway and South Gloucestershire as a whole

Projects across both areas include:

  • Working with Western Power Distribution (WPD) to promote their priority service register for people affected by dementia. This allows people to be notified of a planned interruption to their power supply, and to have a dedicated telephone number to contact someone from WPD if they have a power cut. More information here (PDF).
  • Creating a shared vision statement
  • Commissioning of 'Sporting Memories'

To find out more about the projects being undertaken please look at the relevant organisation's website.

Older people enjoying sitting in a garden
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