1. A dementia-friendly housing Charter
Vanessa Pritchard-Wilkes

2. Contents Overview of Housing & Care 21
Context for the dementia challenge
PM Champion Group
The Housing Charter
The Commitment Statements
Signing up to the Charter
Questions

3. Housing & Care 21…
Mission: Support independence and choice for older people through the provision of quality housing, care and support
Formed in 1964 by the Royal British Legion.
1992, we became Housing 21… In 2014, we became Housing & Care 21
Largest not-for-profit Extra Care provider
Court manager on every court
Extra Care
143 courts
5,701 properties
45,200 care hours per week
Retirement Housing
336 courts
12,362 properties
5 specialist dementia units and

4. Where it all began… The Context
Alzheimer’s Society has been at the forefront of creating dementia-friendly communities, working with governments and members such as the Dementia Action Alliance.
In 2009 The Department of Health launched the first ever National Dementia Strategy for England. Alzheimer's Society worked closely with the government to develop the Strategy.
At Alzheimer’s Society we have positioned ourselves throughout the years as a leading organisation on dementia, and we were lucky to be the leading role on delivering the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia, which was a major priority of our Prime Minster to tackle the issue of dementia here in the UK.
The Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia had three main areas for action: driving improvements in health and care, creating dementia-friendly communities and improving dementia research. As a result of this challenge, we
created a Dementia Friends programme to help raise understanding on an individual level, and encourage social action
we formed a PM Champion group to deliver actions on the objectives in the PM Challenge
created a Dementia Friendly Communities programme to ensure that people with dementia feel understood, valued and able to contribute to their community
Following the success of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on dementia 2012, the Prime Minister’s Challenge on dementia 2020 was created.

5. Where we are now
2012
20 communities working to become dementia friendly
10% of England covered by a Local Dementia Action Alliance
Low awareness and understanding
Low Local Authority engagement
2016
205 communities working to become dementia friendly
75% of England is covered by a Local Dementia Action Alliance
1.7m Dementia Friends
55 Local Authorities currently registered under DAA and DFC

6. Prime Minister’s Champion Group
People affected by dementia
PMCG Steering Group
Home services
Entertainment, Leisure and Recreation
Young People
Communities
Financial Services
Transport
Businesses and Organisations
Public Services
Assistive Technologies
Maintaining Personal Wellbeing
Schools
Faith Groups
Financial Services –
Rail
Dementia Friendly Employers
Emergency Services –
Housing
Sport and leisure
Universities
Rural Communities –
Insurance
Air Transport
Dementia Friendly Retail
Local Authority Services
PMCG Steering group consists of: Thematic Group chairs, Regional and National Reps (North, Central, South, NI, Scotland and Wales), Dementia Friends Champion and associated Alzheimer’s Society staff.
Energy, Water and telephony
Arts
Youth Groups
Legal
GP practices

7. Prime Minister’s Champion Groupy
Prime Minister’s Champion Group
Current outputs:
Dementia friendly Financial Services Charter
Dementia friendly Employers’ Guide
Dementia friendly Arts Venue Guide
Dementia friendly Technology Charter
Accessing and Sharing Information publication
Maintaining Personal Wellbeing pledge
Dementia friendly Retail Guide
Dementia Friendly Church Guide
Upcoming projects/outputs:
Housing Charter
Dementia friendly Faith Guide
Dementia friendly Heritage Guide
Dementia friendly Cinema Guide
Dementia friendly Air Transport
Dementia friendly Sport Venues Guide
Two thirds of people living with dementia live in the community with one third living on their own

8. The Housing Charter Bringing together existing resources and research
Aimed at
Supporting older people with dementia to live independently
Helping housing professionals in their support of people living with dementia in their own homes
Provide access to
The knowledge to plan and prepare for future projects, developments and services by influencing initial design and planning of future housing stock
Knowledge and resources to make relevant ongoing adaptations and repairs to current housing stock to support people with dementia;
Encourages organisations to make or improve existing action plans in order to future proof their organisations and services
Explains how and why housing and housing related services can improve the lives of those living with dementia, and their families and carers;
facilitate consistency and good practice

9. Structure of the Charter
Places
People
Processes
Staff who manage properties, landlords,
including modifications, adaptations,
repairs, home maintenance and handyperson services,
architects and planners.
Creation, maintenance of
housing including space
and design of the interior
and exterior of buildings,
areas around buildings
and their location.
Retrofitting of existing housing.
Housing systems and
infrastructure, planning,
design and development,
and housing related
services such as repairs,
maintenance,
adaptations and
management.

10. The range of stakeholders
Explanation
Occupations
Designing and building
From inception, through design to ‘ready to occupy’
Planners, architects, building control, facilities or property management, builders, surveyors, designers, developers.
Managing and supporting
The daily running activities of all housing tenures
Landlords, developers, housing managers and officers, court/scheme managers, occupational health, facilities or property management.
Modifying and adapting
The modification, repair and adaption of housing and the built environment to meet changing needs
Occupational therapists, community equipment or telecare providers, handypersons, environmental health officers, home improvement agencies, builders, technical officers and architects

11. Commitment statements
Issue
Potential responses
Commitments to identifying people affected by dementia who need support
Organisations don’t understand the challenge which dementia places on services
Become a dementia-friendly organisation
Diagnosis is often at the point of crisis
Training and guidance for staff particularly in the front line to be able to identify the signs of dementia and know how to seek support for early diagnosis as appropriate
Develop a signposting pathway for the local area
Organisations face challenges communicating with people affected by dementia and responding to their needs
Ensure staff are aware of advice and advocacy services locally to support people with dementia to make decisions
Produce information and guidance in easy accessible formats for people with dementia on the services and facilities available and how they are provided
Ensure staff are aware of techniques and approaches that engage people with dementia

12. Commitment statements
People
Commitments to identifying people affected by dementia who need support
Commitments to understanding
Commitments to signposting/navigation/advice and information
Place
Commitments to navigation / setting
Commitments to raising awareness
Processes
Commitments to applicability
Commitments to communication
Greater information and support for people with dementia to access housing options

13. What does committing to the Charter mean?
1 Publicly sign up to the Charter and commitments:
Sign up through the Alzheimer’s Society website
Publicly announce your intention to deliver on the relevant Charter commitment statements
Specific actions should be incorporated into the Dementia Action Alliance action plan if applicable 
2 Deliver the commitments specific to your stakeholder group within a set, individually determined and planned time-frame:
Selection of a senior member of staff to champion the initiative and ensure that the appropriate delivery plan is established and progressed
Evidence and reporting back  on progress and outcomes of the identified commitment statements
Housing stakeholders should act as ambassadors for dementia-friendly communities and build relationships with local stakeholders to encourage them to adopt dementia-friendly practices

14. Resources Dementia Words Matters
Department of Health (2009) Living well with dementia: A national dementia strategy
Housing LIN
Health Environmental Research and Design Journal: Impact of the design of the built environment on people with dementia: an evidence based review
Guinness Partnership (2015): Becoming a dementia-friendly organisation

15. Questions?