Following a pause due to the election, I’m looking forward to re-starting our county-wide conversation to drive up our diagnosis rates and end the hesitancy and stigma that too often exists around dementia.
We all want everyone in our communities to live as happy and fulfilled a life as possible, and with dementia affecting one in two of us in our lifetime, either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both, it's important our communities are as supportive as possible of all those living with dementia, or caring for loved ones with the condition.
By working together we can make Rutland the first Dementia Friendly County in the UK.
As well as making sure we are all as supportive as we can be, we hope our Dementia Conversation will encourage anyone locally who's noticed something has changed, or whose loved one may be showing signs of dementia, to have the confidence to step forward and access support - not least because we have clinics and support available in Rutland.
In Rutland our dementia diagnosis rates are more than 10% below the national average.
This suggests we have quite a few people in our communities living without the support they could access.
It's never too early to start a conversation, and never too late to seek support, we hope by starting a conversation, more of us will feel confident seeking out support.
Find out more about how you can get involved and join the conversation here.
All my best to you and yours -
