Swale Dementia Action Alliance

Part of the Kent initiative 'Working towards becoming a Dementia Friendly Community' We are Dementia Action Alliance – the alliance of over 150 national organisations across England who connect, share best practice and take action on dementia. Everything we do is in partnership, and informed by people living with dementia, and those that care for them

The Swale Dementia Action Alliance is a member of the Kent Dementia Action Alliance and as such is part of the Kent initiative 'Working towards becoming a Dementia Friendly Community'.  Members are agencies and residents of the area including statutory, voluntary and third sector agencies.

The Swale DAA was established in November 2014 with agreement of all members on Terms of Reference including committing to the National Dementia Declaration, and sharing local information and best practice

Members had already evidenced their determination to help people to Live well with Dementia through their membership of both local Dementia forums at Sheppey and Sittingbourne and the Kent Dementia action alliance. 

The Alliance is made up of a range of organisations who are all committed to turning words into actions and brings together the two local dementia friendly community forums of Sittingbourne and Sheppey

The forums and agencies attached to this Action alliance have produced their own action plans with aims and objectives that the combined membership of the forums will work towards.

The Swale Action alliance will be supporting both these action plans plus discussing individual members local action plans. 

The Key things that the Alliance are keen to promote (in addition to individual action plans) in the coming months are:

• raising awareness (including with local schools) 
• the use of language and appropriate communications. 
• promoting the Kent 24hr dementia help line 
• Contributing to the Dementiafriendlykent.gov.uk website
• Encouraging local 'events' to become more dementia friendly by considering signage, accessibility and also quiet zones.

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK - that’s 1 in 14 people. This is set to rise to 1 million by 2025, and will soar to 2 million by 2051. 

Dementia costs the UK economy £26.3 billion a year. With unprecedented pressure on health and social care, society runs the risk of failing people living with dementia and their carers, with stretched services that are not tailored to their needs. 

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We know that pockets of outstanding dementia care are happening across the country. There is potential to elevate these practices to benefit many more people living with dementia. 

We exist to bring together national organisations to connect, share best practice and take practical action on dementia. We seek a similar level of change as has been seen in our society's response to cancer over recent decades.