Community boards explore the realities of living with dementia

What is it really like to live with dementia? Three of Buckinghamshire’s community boards have been finding out as they took part in a series of special events last week.

Dementia affects more than 850,000 people in the UK. One in 14 people over 65 have dementia and 1 in 6 people over 80 have the condition. There are also over 42,000 people under the age of 65 who are living with dementia. There is currently no cure but with the right level of support and treatment many people continue to live active and fulfilled lives for many years.

One of the best ways to help someone with dementia is to gain a greater understanding of how the condition affects them and that is where the Interactive Dementia Awareness Experience provided by Training2Care comes in.

The activity offers an interactive, virtual experience of what it is like to live with dementia and gives people the opportunity to gain a first-hand insight into how the condition affects individuals. The mobile unit is unique in the way it works and is scientifically and medically proven to give a person with a healthy brain, the chance to experience what having dementia really feels like.

The Beeches, Beaconsfield & Chepping Wye and South West Chilterns Community Boards  joined forces with other partners to hire the mobile unit to visit their local areas last week. The request came from local organisations Make Marlow Dementia Friendly and Marlow Bridge Rotary Club. Guests were invited to take part in the experience to discover for themselves what it really feels like to live with dementia. The aim of the exercise was to raise awareness of the condition and to start the process of thinking about what local communities can do to better support residents with dementia.

Robert Rendels who took part in the experience with his wife Shuna said: “That was a brilliant course. Shuna and I had no idea what to expect and reacted to it in very different ways but both feel we were lucky to have experienced it and learned a great deal. Thank you for organising training for us which should, we are sure, be experienced by many more.”

Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Communities said: “Dementia is a condition that sadly affects a large number of people, even the relatively young. These events hosted by three of our community boards reflect their commitment to supporting those living with dementia in their local communities.

“Our community boards work closely with local people and groups to find out what issues are important to them and then work together to make improvements.”

Buckinghamshire has 16 local community boards, set up to work in partnership with local people and organisations. The boards aim to work with communities to listen and take action on matters of importance to local people. For more information visit our website: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/community-boards