“ Guess what? You can still live well with dementia” Developing Kent into a ‘Dementia Friendly Community’

Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge New ways of working Building on existing good practice Increasing awareness Dementia Friendly Kent web platform Kent Dementia Action Alliance Genuine participation to ensure all improvement is grounded in the needs and aspirations of people living with dementia in Kent REFERENCE GROUP 12 + Dementia Friendly Communities across Kent Clinical Commissioning Groups / Health & Well-Being Boards / Local Forums

Developing Kent into a ‘Dementia Friendly Community’

Challenges / Risks Working in silos – services, sectors, disciplines - language Blinkered research – not learning from other sectors Resistance to change – wanting to to the same old thing again Stigma – amongst public and professionals Complexity – impatience – competing aspirations - assumptions – hierarchy

Achievements

Developing Kent into a ‘Dementia Friendly Community’ Achievements

Conclusions from Kent Take a whole system approach Find common language – open source - accessible to everyone - images, colour, interests, real people doing real things Build on existing good practice New collaborations – diverse perspectives – work the networks Increase awareness and understanding Challenge assumptions and stereotypes – person not illness New and old ways of working Iterative - start small – always test – always deliver quality Genuine participation Reciprocal relationships – earn trust by noticing what matters

KSS Conclusions Working alongside people living with dementia, their families and carers and professionals in this field, is the only way to develop a dementia friendly community Learning – from existing projects and lived experiences Flexibility – time frames, innovation and experimentation A practitioner network better equips us to share good practice, challenge local obstacles, be more informed, easier to signpost Genuine collaboration – engagement, partnership, collaboration - critical for a successful outcome Social movement - coalition of the willing

Thank And finally … today!