Meeting the dementia care challenge in Warwickshire

Warwickshire councillors have reported on a positive response from social care professionals, at a two-day event organised by the council to address the growing concerns over dementia care provision.

Among the key points noted were that social care providers support the drive to achieve more joined-up support, while attendees also acknowledged that care workers need to be better trained in order to be able to cope with the challenges presented by conditions like Alzheimer’s.

Although an ageing population is an issue all regions of the UK are having to face up to, Warwickshire is one county that estimates its older people population boom to be higher than the national average. The council shares the concerns of the care sector that the challenges of demographic pressures need to be tackled sooner rather than later, although the Government is scheduled to debate the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission this summer, that include a national eligibility criteria and an individual cap on care costs.

The council’s portfolio holder for adult social care, councillor Izzi Seccombe, was among those delighted by the response to the two-day event, having personal experience of the effects of dementia within her own family.

Ms Seccombe says: “As someone whose own mother had dementia, I know that everyone has a different experience of this condition and one size certainly does not fit all. As more and more of us live longer dementia will become another dimension of ourselves and our loved ones and we need to remove the stigma from this condition and accept it will become part of our lives.”

She went on to thank care professionals for their contribution to the event, saying: “The feedback from Warwickshire’s dementia carers will help us make real improvements within our expected budgets to improve quality of life and health for people with dementia and their families.”