Suzanne Croy
Dementia Lead Associate
Dementia Services Development Centre
University of Stirling
June 2013

• Literature review to identify exemplary practices in Dementia Friendly
Communities (DFC) to guide actions
• Seek relevant sources which could act as benchmarks of progress and targets to be exceeded
• Provide baseline information on existing resources on which to build

• No common interpretation of “dementia friendly” and “dementia friendly community”
• Impact of how we interpret these terms

• Def. : “villages, towns, cities and organisations that meet set criteria to show a high level of public awareness and understanding so that people with dementia and their carers are encouraged to seek help and individuals and communities know about dementia to be able to help someone with the condition”
(Alzheimer’s Society 2012)

• 5 key areas identified by people with dementia which make a difference as to the capacity for communities to become dementia-friendly
• Physical Environment
• Local Facilities
• Support Services
• Social Networks
• Local Groups (especially walking)

The Place
The
Networks
Person with
Dementia
The
People
The
Resources
LGA (2012)

• Create a clear vision of “Dementia Friendly
Community”
• Audits of 5 domains to establish baseline and identify priority actions
• Memory Aware High Street – consistent national approach
• Use existing resources
• Local network (alliance)
• Dedicated person to compile list of current resources
• Consider the ‘size’ and ‘scope’ of your community

DSDC do not believe there is a single model for a “dementia-friendly community”. Instead we aim to help communities, commissioners and providers work out what can be achieved on a sustainable basis given available local resources. Our aim is to support achievement of the changes communities want and can realistically achieve over time. DSDC is able to provide clear evidence-based advice, support and facilitation because of its particular history, current expertise and range of experience.

• Dementia Friendly Community Information
Day – 12 th June 2013 DSDC
• Dementia Friendly Conference : Stirling
Dementia Friendly City – 24 th June 2013
DSDC
• Dementia Friendly Outdoor Access – 25 th
July 2013