Creating a Dementia Friendly Community in Hounslow

Alzheimer’s Society is working with businesses and venues in Hounslow to ensure people with dementia are able to easily access services and shops within the borough.

The work is part of the charity’s aim to create a Dementia Friendly Community in Hounslow with inclusive shops and venues, so residents are empowered to live their lives as normally as possible after a dementia diagnosis. A Dementia Friendly Community is a borough where people with dementia feel understood, supported, confident they can contribute to community life and carry out everyday tasks or activities.

Two-thirds of people with dementia live in the community rather than a care home, yet many report feeling trapped in their homes and let down by their communities. There are nearly 2,300 people affected by dementia in Hounslow, with 1,334 experiencing severe dementia. The projected annual cost of dementia in the borough is £105 million.

The law means employers must make reasonable adjustments for people with dementia to avoid disadvantage in the workplace. Retailers also have an obligation to ensure consumers are protected and access to services is as inclusive as possible, including for those with dementia. From increasing signage to staff wearing a Dementia Friends badge, small changes can make a big difference.

Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Community CoOrdinator, Silvia Mazzanti is working to ensure Hounslow is a safe and welcoming place for those with dementia.

She explained: “Businesses can attend Dementia Friends sessions or take part in our local steering group whose aim is to create tangible changes across the borough. Any organisation can adopt measures to become more dementia friendly from assessing their premises or offering space for activities.

“Dementia friendly businesses are more likely to retain existing customers affected by dementia and attract new ones. For staff, having an understanding of dementia means they will be more confident when dealing with customers. This benefits customers with dementia and demonstrates the business’s social responsibility.

“Recently Alzheimer’s Society has been collaborating with Brentford FC on the development of their café sessions at the club’s stadium. Brentford are liaising with Alzheimer’s Society and other organisations to run sessions for elderly people with conditions including dementia.” There are 79,000 people living with dementia in London, enough to fill Brentford’s stadium more than four and a half times.

Silvia added: “It is great to have Brentford and historic houses like Chiswick and Boston Manor in Hounslow, eager to make their practices and facilities more accessible and inclusive for people with dementia. We are excited to see more activities started and spaces offered as the programme progresses.

I encourage all organisations locally to get in touch, join our steering group and help make our vision become a reality.”

Alzheimer’s Society is teaming up with West London Chambers of Commerce to turn the aspirations of achieving a Dementia Friendly Community, into a reality. Silvia plans to begin work with Sky at their Hounslow headquarters and Heathrow airport in 2023. There are over 510 dementia friendly communities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland where local businesses commit to support their customers and employees affected by dementia. From taxi drivers to hairdressers and the bus company to the newsagent, everyone can identify things they can tweak to better support people with dementia.

The charity’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation acts, thinks, talks about the condition. There are now more than 3.5 million Dementia Friends nationally.

Whether you attend a face-to-face session or watch the online video, Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help.