Speak Out For Dementia Action Week 20th-26th May

Dementia Action Week takes place between the 20th and the 26th of May. The overall goal for the week is to encourage people to take action to improve the lives of those affected by dementia and making sure they do not feel excluded. It’s estimated that 850,000 people in the UK are affected by dementia and it does not just affect the elderly which is commonly mistaken. 40,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 suffer from early onset dementia. With the estimated amount of people being diagnosed per year already extremely high and only set to increase in the coming years it’s essential we find ways to guarantee the best possible quality of life.

This brings me to how Explore Kent would tackle this problem and keeping active is the first step in making a difference to a numerous different aspects in someone’s life. With the week prioritising that people who suffer with dementia our not excluded, sport could be the perfect portal to help people with the condition engage with something new and brighten family spirits. There has been a rise in dementia classes and sessions over the past years in a variety of activities; swimming, walking and yoga.

Another way to keep people with dementia away from feeling excluded would be visiting a local dementia cafe such as the Rochester dementia memory cafe. These offer people who have dementia and the family/friends an opportunity to speak with others in a similar situation which may ultimately create friendships.

Alzheimer’s Society have yearly memory walks open to everyone through applications in order to raise awareness of what dementia is and the race to find a cure for it. The list of each of the upcoming races can be found on the website.