UPDATED: A Dementia Awareness Day organised by the Memory Service is being held at St Mary’s Hospital next Wednesday.
***THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED***
The Awareness Day, running on Wednesday 16th April 2014 between 10:00 and 15:00 in the Conference Room at St Mary’s, is open to anyone who may have any questions relating to Dementia and it will provide education and support to those individuals or their family members who may need it.
Dementia is a term used to describe a set of symptoms which include memory, mood changes and problems with communication and reasoning. A number of different diseases can cause dementia, the most common cause being Alzheimer’s disease. It is important that people receive good information and support in order to better understand the condition and to maintain an active lifestyle for as long as possible.
As we age the prevalence of dementia increases and therefore areas with higher elderly populations will have higher rates of recorded dementia.Dementia is more common in older people but can affect people at any age with one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80 having some form of dementia..
Dementia prevalence has increased on the island over the last five years and nationally there has been a 66.5% increase in the number of people registered with dementia. The Office of National Statistics has predicted that there will be a further 21% increase in registered dementia prevalence by 2020. There are about 800,000 people in the UK with dementia including over 17,000 people in the UK under the age of 65.
The Memory Service at St Marys Hospital is a specialist service for people who are having problems with their memory, or other aspects of their thinking. The initial contact may be for an assessment with one of our Consultants and then progress to involvement with Nurses, Occupational Therapists and other members of the team, who are able to offer assessment, advice and signpost appropriate services and agencies.
At the Dementia Awareness Day there will be representatives from numerous Island based services including Age UK, Alzheimers Café, Hampton trust and Social Services.
Islanders are invited to go along and meet the team. Any concerns or questions regarding yourself or a loved one will be dealt with in a discreet and confidential manner.
