Good News in Enfield
Dementia is everyone's business
Dementia is everyone's business - Enfield Dispatch
Dementia isn’t just a health issue – it’s something that affects families, neighbours, and whole communities.
In Enfield, with numbers rising fast, we can’t afford to look the other way.
Alison Carter Albert, chair of Enfield Dementia Network and a fierce community advocate, is leading the charge. “It’s everyone’s business,” she says. “No single organisation can fix this on their own.”
This is where Enfield Dementia Network comes in – bringing together local groups, schools, creatives, and carers. Enabling people from all walks of life, to offer joined-up support. It’s not just about more services, but smarter ones that reflect the communities they serve.
“We’ve got one of the most diverse boroughs in the country,” Alison points out. “You can’t just translate a leaflet and think the job’s done. We’ve got to meet people where they are – culturally and emotionally.”
It’s also not just about support after diagnosis. Prevention matters too. “Nearly half of all dementia cases could be delayed or prevented by addressing 14 possible risk factors, which includes vision and hearing loss, and high cholesterol,” Alison says.
“People deserve to know the risks, so they can take proactive steps to help their future selves.”
Stigma is still a massive problem, especially in communities where dementia isn’t openly talked about. Many people don’t get help until things are really bad, and that makes everything harder. Even professionals miss it in their own families.
Alison’s seen the damage that silence does. “I don’t want another child going through what I did, watching a loved one fade away without any support.”
Enfield Dementia Network is pushing hard for change – raising awareness, running events, and making sure no-one gets left behind.
In Enfield, we’re not waiting for someone else to sort it. We’re doing it ourselves.
For more information about Enfield Dementia Network:
Visit enfielddementianetwork.co.uk
LocalMotion Enfield is part of a UK-wide movement for community-led change – we’re proud to partner with Enfield Dispatch to share local voices and stories
Being open about dementia
Enfield Dementia Action Alliance and Alzheimer’s Society are teaming up to encourage people in the borough with concerns about their memory to seek an assessment ahead of Dementia Action Week this month (starting 15th May).
The alliance is hosting events for people affected by dementia and to raise awareness among the general public about the importance of confronting symptoms when they appear, shining a light on the work done by Enfield’s ‘dementia friends’ and providing residents with information to help them plan for the future.
The dementia friends programme led by Alzheimer’s Society is the biggest-ever programme to change perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation acts, thinks and talks about the condition and, since launching in 2013, more than 3.5 million people across the UK have joined to create change in their communities.
Making Enfield Dementia Friendly
As at 2020, 5% of adults over 65 in Enfield have been diagnosed with dementia – the highest prevalence in London, and higher than the rate for England.
These are alarming stats and much is being done to address the situation in making Enfield ‘dementia friendly’.
On Saturday (18th), Age UK Enfield co-hosted an event with Chickenshed Theatre as part of Enfield Dementia Network’s programme of activities to support Dementia Action Week (DAW).
DAW is a nationwide awareness week and this year’s focus was the importance of timely diagnosis and the workshop explored people’s thoughts and feelings about dementia through creativity, discussions and movement.
Rachel Yates, creative director of Space Between Us Project and founder of Gladrags, is a finalist for the illustrious Dementia in Care Award for her intergenerational work with Age UK Enfield, to be held on 13th June in central London.
Free dementia training for carers in Enfield
Free dementia training sessions are being offered in Enfield this month.
To start off this year’s Dementia Action Week, which runs from 19th-25th May, Home Instead Enfield is offering a series of free training sessions.
The sessions will help those caring for a loved one better with dementia better understand the condition and learn how to provide meaningful support. They will provide “valuable insights” to help reduce stress and improve quality of life for those affected.
Home Instead Enfield, which has been providing care-at-home services in Enfield for over ten years, is a member of the Enfield Dementia Network, working to make Enfield a more dementia friendly society.
This month’s free sessions will take place on Saturday 17th from 2.30pm-4.30pm at Southgate Leisure Centre and on Thursday 22nd from 6.30pm-8.30pm at John Jackson Library in Bush Hill Park.
Dementia Friendly Sports Launched
Dementia-friendly swimming and walking football sessions are being launched in Southbury.
Southbury Leisure Centre will be introducing the Monday-morning sessions starting next week (Monday 12th) specifically for people living with or at risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia, with their carers being able to join them for free.
The sessions will provide people with the chance to “socialise and interact with others in a quiet environment” while getting active and staying healthy.
Sessions will take place every Monday and include dementia friendly senior swimming from 9.30am-10.30am followed by a ‘sporting memories’ conversation from 10.45am-11.45am and then walking football from 12pm-1pm.
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