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UK Dementia Congress 2017: dementia and housing session

Blog posted by: Paula Reid, Wednesday, 25 October 2017.

The housing sector has a critical role to play in supporting people with dementia to live well, and many housing organisations are already rolling out innovations in this area. 

Two women talking at a conference

Homeless Link currently chairs the Dementia and Housing Working Group (DHWG), which aims to promote the contribution of the housing sector to improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life of people living with dementia. The DHWG has over 20 members, comprising housing providers, professionals and trade bodies working alongside the Alzheimer’s Society, academic researchers, representatives of government departments and the health sector.

The strength of the DHWG is in the reach and work of its members, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase this work at the upcoming UK Dementia Congress 2017. The DHWG is hosting a session that will give delegates an introduction to some of the innovative projects and programmes of work being undertaken in the housing sector.

For those delegates not currently working in the sector, it will highlight the breadth of work being undertaken and encourage colleagues to see the housing sector as a key partner in supporting people living with dementia. For delegates from the housing sector, it will be an opportunity to share their own experiences and innovations, as well as learning from the projects showcased in the symposium.

Five members of the DHWG will be presenting their work as part of the session:

  • The Guinness Partnership will talk about the work they have been doing to become a dementia-friendly organisation following their award-winning report on this topic published in 2015.
  • Housing and Care 21 and the Alzheimer’s Society will introduce delegates to the dementia-friendly housing charter, which they launched earlier this year.
  • The Abbeyfield Society will showcase work they have done around inclusive living environments, including the development of a refurbishment toolkit for their housing staff.
  • The Life Story Network will be presenting their Beyond the Front Door report which explores what ‘home’ means to people with dementia and their carers
  • Foundations will outline some example of housing authorities and Home Improvement Agencies working together to address some of the challenges around retrofitting adaptations for people living with dementia

We will be running a session at the upcoming UK Dementia Congress 2017 to showcase this work. If you are attending, we would love to see you at the session, which is taking place at 9:15 on Thursday 9th November. If you are not attending Congress, please follow @dementiahousing and #UKDC2017 for updates.

 

Channel website: http://www.homelesslink.org.uk

Original article link: http://www.homeless.org.uk/connect/blogs/2017/oct/25/uk-dementia-congress-2017-dementia-and-housing-session

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