Nadine Reed, a volunteer at the Hub

ISLINGTON’S first Dementia Strategy, which prioritises prevention and timely diagnosis, was launched during Dementia Action Week which ended on Sunday.

The strategy lays out five priority areas, with number one on the list being to prevent avoidable dementia, as research shows 45 per cent of cases are influenced by lifestyle factors.

“It’s shocking,” said Sophia Stevens, senior commissioning manager for Age Well in Health and Social Care at Islington Council.

A couple of days after the launch the Islington Carers Hub, provided by Age UK, hosted the Dementia Information Fair to provide information and advice to family carers and individuals living with dementia.

“The whole idea is that carers and people with dementia know the resources available,” said Ms Stevens. “Dementia affects carers as well as the person that has dementia,” she added.

Islington Carers Hub hosted a Dementia Information Fair as the Dementia Strategy was launched

“Nobody would recognise what I was doing, I had to give up work,” said Nadine Reed, a volunteer at Islington Carers Hub. Both of Ms Reed’s parents have Alzheimer’s disease, a common cause of dementia. Her father was the first to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, then her mother six months later.

“During Covid, I was dealing with three lives,” she said. “It’s like looking after a child. It’s a cruel disease,” she added.

Her parents are separated, so Ms Reed was struggling to know which of the two should take priority.

“I was constantly on this emotional rollercoaster,” she said. “Everyone’s Alzheimer’s is unique, the care and support have to be tailored,” she added.

“A lot of carers come to us because they can’t get a break or time for themselves,” said Torps Boukens, team leader at Islington Carers Hub. “Twenty-two per cent of our calls are from carers,” she said. “A lot of what we do is give information and advice.”

One of Age UK’s services is Planning for the Future, which helps people with sorting through important documents, such as their will. Joanie Speers, who has been a volunteer there for 10 years, said people avoid doing these steps earlier on because “it’s an admission that we all die one day”.

For more information on the strategy, go to the Islington Dementia Strategy page.