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To mark Dementia Awareness Week, we’re shining the spotlight on a project in Norfolk that uses sport and activity to help those living with the condition.

“Some people didn’t want to play at first. But they were soon all laughing, joking and clapping,” says Claire.

“One gentleman, who is usually very quiet and isolated, stood for the whole session and played continuously. His wife said that it was a long time since she’d had such a wonderful time.”

Claire is a coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Café and sees first-hand how dementia can turn lives upside-down.

But this is the positive impact sport and activity can have on people living with the condition.

THE FACTS

More than three-quarters of a million peopleOpen in a new window currently live with dementia in the UK and it’s expected that one in three of us will develop the condition at some point in our life.

A diagnosis can drastically interrupt the lives of those affected – and not just for the person living with dementia. Friends and family have to adapt to a new way of life, and it can be tough for everyone.

But that’s where sport and activity can make a real difference. We already know that leading an active lifestyle provides a real boost to physical and mental wellbeing. This applies to people living with dementia too.

THE POWER OF SPORT

Getting active can improve the quality of life for people in all stages of the condition – and Mobile MeOpen in a new window from Active Norfolk is a programme we’re funding to support people and their families living with dementia.

The project brings physical activity to the communal areas of sheltered housing and residential care settings.

Run in partnership with care home provider, Norse CareOpen in a new window, and other partner organisations, the initial 10-week programme improves wellbeing – and helps make physical activity a part of daily life for older people living in these places.

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