January 2019 CPD Event - Tuesday 22 January 2019 A presentation by Fiona Andrews, Dementia forward

Fiona will explain the complex issues regarding dementia and how we are affected by it.

Learning Points

- What exactly is Dementia?

- What is the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer’s?

- How can dementia affect a person and their families?

- How dementia affects communication?

- What happens after diagnosis?

- Why do we need ‘Dementia Friendly Communities?’

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Fiona works for the North Yorkshire Charity Dementia Forward and works as part of their team in Community Engagement; she joined the Charity 18 months ago.

Dementia Forward is a small but very busy local charity based in Ripon, which supports around 3000 people and their families in the North Yorkshire area who are living with dementia. They do this by personalising this support depending on the needs of the individual and their families, providing necessary education, information, activities, coping strategies and appropriate signposting.

Dementia Forward supports individuals who do not yet have a formal diagnosis but who are concerned about their memory as well as those with a dementia diagnosis. They do this through home visits by specially trained Dementia Support Advisors and Admiral Nurses who are specifically trained in dementia care. They run a dedicated support helpline.

The charity holds many wellbeing cafes throughout the North Yorkshire Area that meet weekly and provide a social space and activities for our clients. They have a specialist Dementia Hub in Burton Leonard where services specifically designed for people living with dementia are run. They also run a service for those who have Early Onset Dementia, which is someone under the age of 65, catering to the specific needs of this group.

Prior to joining Dementia Forward Fiona worked as a Police Officer with the British Transport Police for 27 years. For around 5 years before she retired she worked on Dementia Friendly Police projects and encouraged many railway companies to train staff and to run dementia friendly services. Fiona instigated a project of ‘supported journeys’ where people with dementia were invited to take a train journey, with specific railway and police support in order to raise their confidence in public transport. Fiona was invited to the first anniversary of Dementia Friendly Parliament and was invited to present her work at the Prime Ministers Challenge Group on Dementia.