Sutton Scene - Chair of People Committee column 180920

The month is aimed at raising awareness, highlighting issues faced by people with dementia and challenging the stigma. The theme for this year is ”Let’s talk about Dementia.”

Sutton is one of only two local authorities in London that has an Admiral Nurse service. The service was started in 2014 with just one nurse and has now expanded to four. The Admiral nurses are there to support, not just the person with dementia but the whole family. This year the service has received over 200 referrals.

The Council aims to make Sutton a dementia-friendly borough and Councillor Annie Moral, Lead Member for Dementia and Deputy Mayor, sits on the borough’s Dementia Alliance along with many other organisations working in partnership to achieve this aim. See her short film and watch the story of Bahman and Kathleen here. 

It is very likely that many of you will know someone with dementia or know of someone caring for someone with dementia. Over the years, many people have told me that one of the most difficult things to deal with is the fact that people do not want to talk about it and this can increase loneliness and isolation. One of the things that you can do is to become a Dementia Friend. Becoming a friend is quick and easy to do and will help you to understand and help others.

I will leave you with a couple of startling statistics and a plea from a carer. 

Currently, there are 850,000 people living with dementia and it is estimated this will rise to 1 million by 2021. 1 in 3 people born today will develop the condition.

Barbara says: “Next time you get impatient with my husband because he is slow at the checkout, try to remember that he was once a loving father to my children, a businessman who supported many charities, a sportsman who coached children and young people, and most of all he is a part of your community. So please just take the time to be kind.”