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Leeds Beckett pledges to transform lives of those living with dementia
Leeds Beckett has become a member of The Leeds Dementia Action Alliance, who work to bring about a society-wide response to dementia and who are working to make Leeds a dementia-friendly city. The University has signed up to the National Dementia Declaration for England as well as submitting an action plan, which outlines how it will work to deliver the outcomes described in the Declaration.
Speaking about the news, Professor Peter Slee, Vice Chancellor at Leeds Beckett, said: “I am very pleased we have committed as a University to working to become dementia friendly. We all know someone who is experiencing the distressing effects of dementia; be it a person living with the condition, or someone who is caring for a loved one; and all of us appreciate the distress and anxiety that often accompanies it.
“It is vital therefore, that as a major employer and as a major provider of education and research, we engage in the Dementia Action Alliance’s dementia friendly initiative. We believe that joining the Dementia Action Alliance provides a strong foundation for our work on dementia, and is evidence of our commitment to supporting people with dementia and their carers to live well with the condition.”
There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. For those affected it can make doing the ordinary things we all take for granted such as going to the shops, banking and using public transport, difficult. The Dementia Action Alliance supports groups and organisations to implement small things that can make a big difference to the lives of people affected by dementia. In Leeds Beckett’s action plan, the University has committed to raising awareness of dementia among staff, students and the wider community, offering regular dementia friends training for access by staff and students, providing advice support for staff and students affected by dementia, engaging in partnership working with local organisations supporting people affected by dementia as well as engaging in research and enterprise activities related to dementia and embedding dementia within teaching.
Sarah Goodyear, Campaign Officer at Dementia Friendly Leeds, added: "Dementia Action Alliance Leeds is very pleased to welcome Leeds Beckett University. We were very impressed by how carefully thought through their dementia friendly actions were. They have dedicated a lot of time and effort into becoming dementia friendly, and these actions are clearly going to be carefully implemented to ensure both students and staff are well supported and aware of dementia."
As part of Leeds Beckett’s support for Dementia Awareness Week in May 2016, the University hosted ‘Dementia Friendly Leeds Beckett’ stands on both its campuses, where staff and students filled out cards stating what they thought the University ought to pledge to do in its work to become dementia friendly.
<>Claire Surr, Professor of Dementia Studies at Leeds Beckett, said: “I’m very proud that the development of Leeds Beckett’s action plan to support our work to become dementia friendly came from engagement with and suggestions from staff and students. This is a truly organisational action plan that reflects the commitment we have made to working to becoming dementia friendly as an institution. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues to implement our plan over the coming year.”Leeds Beckett’s applied dementia care and service delivery research is currently informing national and international understanding of ways in which care for people with dementia and their families can be improved. Researchers at Leeds Beckett have a range of global research partnerships, which have developed from a growing portfolio of dementia research.
Current research include a number of major projects funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Department of Health Policy research programme (DH PRP) as well as commissioned research and evaluations funded by organisations such as Bupa and On Our Radar. Whilst conducting research in a variety of areas of dementia care and service delivery, team members have particular expertise in care homes research, hospitals research, evaluation of complex interventions, dementia training and education design and evaluation of its efficacy, care home staff support needs and well-being, pain assessment and management and cultural issues in dementia assessment and diagnosis. The team also undertake a range of enterprise activities related to dementia care and service delivery.
For more information about Leeds Beckett’s membership of the Dementia Action Alliance, visit http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/members_and_action_plans/6012-leeds_beckett_university