From Aberdeen to West Dunbartonshire, people who are affected by dementia will enjoy greater support thanks to £100,000 funding from the William Grant Foundation, working in partnership with the Life Changes Trust.   The money will be used to add further value to eight dementia friendly communities that are already making a difference across Scotland, including Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT).

Scottish charity the Life Changes Trust invested £80,000 in AFCCT in 2015 to create a dementia friendly community that involves people living with dementia in a wide range of health and well-being activities across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

AFCCT has now received additional funding from the William Grant Foundation to expand on this work. It will help AFCCT work closely with carers of people with dementia to run a week of activities for National Carers’ Week (12-18 June 2017). This will help carers to meet with each other, raise awareness about dementia, and start developing a city-wide network of support.

AFCCT will also use the funding to learn how they can better assist people with dementia and carers from minority ethnic communities living in Aberdeen.   Dementia friendly communities can make an enormous difference to the lives of people with dementia and their carers. They challenge stereotypes, raise awareness and look beyond the dementia to see the person.   They can also transform the dementia journey from a lonely, frightening and isolating experience to one that gives a person living with dementia a new sense of purpose and hope.   In Scotland, it is estimated that around 93,000 people have dementia and this number is increasing, because the population is getting older.  Based on current dementia prevalence rates, the number of people with dementia in Scotland is projected to double by 2038.    Anna Buchanan, Director of the Life Changes Trust dementia programme said: “Dementia Friendly Communities work to make sure that people living with dementia and their carers do not become cut off from the places and people they know and love, such as the football club. They enable them to remain integrated in society, live as independently as possible and participate actively in decisions that affect their day-to-day lives.  This extra funding from the William Grant Foundation will help AFCCT extend its reach and benefit even more people whose lives are affected by dementia.”   Nick Addington, Chief Executive of the William Grant Foundation said, “We are interested in how people can be supported to live well with dementia, and believe that community connections and relationships are key to this. Dementia Friendly Communities are therefore a good place to start for our Foundation, as we begin funding projects in this space. Partnering with the Life Changes Trust and the projects they already fund around Scotland gives us a fast track to learning about what’s already happening, while giving several effective organisations the chance to try out some new ideas with our funds.”   The Life Changes Trust was set up with a Big Lottery Fund endowment of £50 million to improve the lives of two key groups in Scotland: people affected by dementia and care experienced young people.

AFCCT will also use the funding to learn how they can better assist people with dementia and carers from minority ethnic communities living in Aberdeen.   Dementia friendly communities can make an enormous difference to the lives of people with dementia and their carers. They challenge stereotypes, raise awareness and look beyond the dementia to see the person.   They can also transform the dementia journey from a lonely, frightening and isolating experience to one that gives a person living with dementia a new sense of purpose and hope.   In Scotland, it is estimated that around 93,000 people have dementia and this number is increasing, because the population is getting older.  Based on current dementia prevalence rates, the number of people with dementia in Scotland is projected to double by 2038.    Anna Buchanan, Director of the Life Changes Trust dementia programme said: “Dementia Friendly Communities work to make sure that people living with dementia and their carers do not become cut off from the places and people they know and love, such as the football club. They enable them to remain integrated in society, live as independently as possible and participate actively in decisions that affect their day-to-day lives.  This extra funding from the William Grant Foundation will help AFCCT extend its reach and benefit even more people whose lives are affected by dementia.”   Nick Addington, Chief Executive of the William Grant Foundation said, “We are interested in how people can be supported to live well with dementia, and believe that community connections and relationships are key to this. Dementia Friendly Communities are therefore a good place to start for our Foundation, as we begin funding projects in this space. Partnering with the Life Changes Trust and the projects they already fund around Scotland gives us a fast track to learning about what’s already happening, while giving several effective organisations the chance to try out some new ideas with our funds.”   The Life Changes Trust was set up with a Big Lottery Fund endowment of £50 million to improve the lives of two key groups in Scotland: people affected by dementia and care experienced young people.