Dementia Action Week – May 17-21
Led by the Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia Action Week sees the public come together to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.
Wrexham Council has successfully maintained the status of ‘working towards being a dementia-friendly authority’ for the second year running.
The Alzheimer’s Society confirmed the news after seeing how our adult social care department continued to support people throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has had a devastating impact around the world on people living with dementia, and a recent report published by the society found that:
- Over a quarter of people in the UK who died with Covid-19 from March to June last year had dementia.
- The largest increase in excess non-Covid deaths in the UK was in people with dementia.
- For people who survived the crisis, the effects of social isolation were severe.
- Family carers and professional carers have been hard-hit by the pandemic.
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Supporting families in Wrexham
The restrictions on social contact – put in place to slow the spread of the virus – had an impact across the population, but were particularly hard for people with dementia.
Councillor Joan Lowe, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Adult Social Care, says: “Social contact is really important for people with dementia, so the pandemic has had a huge impact.
“Research suggests that not only did many experience a negative impact on their mental health, but a significant number also experienced a marked decline in their cognitive abilities and physical wellbeing.
“In Wrexham, we’ve continued to provide as much help as possible to individuals and their families during the pandemic.
“It’s so important we support them, and we’re pleased we’ve retained our status as working towards being a dementia-friendly council.”
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