Dementia Local Conversations take place across East Ayrshire
Our recent Dementia Local Conversation events were a huge success, with residents from across East Ayrshire engaging in discussion and sharing their experiences of living with the condition.
Organised and delivered in collaboration with Age Scotland, Alzheimer’s Scotland, Scottish Care, East Ayrshire Carers Centre and East Ayrshire Advocacy Services, these events aimed to gather the views and experiences of people living with dementia to gain insight into how current services are performing and identify areas for future improvements.
Three events were held during late August, in Galston, Kilmarnock and Cumnock, and welcomed people with dementia and their unpaid carers, friends and family.
The events were also attended by staff and practitioners from third sector organisations, independent care providers, East Ayrshire Housing Department and East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.
Through a series of group activities and discussions, attendees engaged in deep conversation on a range of topics. These included support for unpaid carers, the time taken for a dementia diagnosis, the attitudes and behaviours of professionals, experiences attending hospital and accessing services, using technology, maintaining social connection and dealing with stigma.
As well as providing insight into our local services and supports, attendees also considered what Dementia Friendly Communities look like in East Ayrshire, their responses feeding into the National Dementia Strategy ‘Everyone’s Story’
Partnership Engagement Officer, Lorna McIlreavy told us more about the sessions:
“These events allowed for some really honest and raw sharing as to the impact and challenges dementia creates for the individual, their friends and family and we’re really grateful to everyone who came and shared so honestly with us.
“The information gathered will not only feed into the National Strategy but will also provide us with a snapshot of what supports and services look like currently in East Ayrshire, which will help us improve and develop our local supports.”
Many thanks to everyone who supported and participated in these events and provided a valuable insight into the experiences of people in East Ayrshire living with dementia.
The full report from the Dementia Local Conversations will be received by our Integration Joint Board on 11 December and will then be published on our website.
At present over 90,000 people in Scotland have a diagnosis of dementia, a terminal disease for which there is currently no cure.
If you wish to find out more, please visit the Alzheimer’s Scotland website or visit the Kilmarnock Dementia Resource Centre, 8-12 College Wynd, Kilmarnock. You can also call the centre on 01563 542521.
