Working Towards a Dementia Friendly Sheffield.

Due to the small and specialist areas of law we deal with we have a large elderly client base. As such we work with people affected dementia on a regular basis, and understand the difficulty it can cause individuals, their friends and families.

We are delighted to have joined the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) in Sheffield. The Alliance’s aim is to transform the quality of life of people living with dementia in the UK and the millions of people who care for them. There are 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and this number is set to grow to over one million people by 2025. The financial cost of dementia in the UK is £23 billion each year and growing. By signing up we have joined over 500 organisations across the UK pledging to make their community more dementia friendly.
We pledge to improve the lives of local people affected by dementia in the following ways:

• Raising awareness of dementia online.
• Ensure we are a dementia friendly firm by providing extra training for our staff and practical help to those that come to us who are affected by the disease.
• We will ensure we remain accessible by providing home visits.
• We will be providing talks to local dementia groups about the legal implications of dementia.

We’ve written our action plan – now put your own into practise! The DAA have released 5 top ways you can help people with dementia:

1. “Can I help you?” and a friendly smile goes a long way to put people at ease
2. Be patient – give people time
3. Be clear – communicate clearly, use gestures and props to help, find a quiet place to go
4. Don’t make assumptions about what someone may want or need – be guided by the individual 
5. Talk about dementia and remember the carer – you will be helping to reduce the stigma around dementia

If you or someone close to you has been affected by dementia and wish to discuss the legal issues surrounding this then you can book a free 30 minute initial appointment with one of our solicitors. Contact Rosalind Watchorn Solicitors on 0114 229 0160.