Basingstoke care home invites the community to learn more about dementia

A care home in Basingstoke is inviting the community to a free event to encourage more people to talk about dementia.   

On Saturday 18^th May, from 2pm-4pm, the Care UK team at Dashwood Manor, on Bradley Way, will open the home’s doors for its ‘Let’s talk about dementia’ event, where team member Leahanne Wilkinson will share professional advice and support.  

Leahanne will deliver the session to help individuals understand the different types of dementia and how family support plans and distraction techniques can help older people to live well with the condition.

The special talk comes as part of Dementia Action Week, and also forms part of Care UK’s The Big Dementia Conversation, an initiative launched to encourage people to have more conversations about the condition. This session is centered around Care UK's easy-to-read Q&A guide, titled ‘Let’s talk about dementia’, which taps into 40 years of experience from Care UK’s dementia experts and home managers across the country. 

There will be a Q&A at the end to ensure attendees get the most out of the session, alongside an opportunity to meet the friendly team at Dashwood Manor.  

The session follows research by Care UK earlier this year which revealed that eight in 10 adults believe dementia is still misunderstood, with 69% believing it’s a subject not talked about enough in society. 

Dil Perera, Home Manager at Dashwood Manor, added: “While much has been done in the way of raising awareness of dementia, there are still a lot of things people don’t know or aren’t comfortable talking about.

“There are currently around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040*, which is why we strongly believe in sharing professional knowledge to help support local people caring for a loved one.

“This event provides a great opportunity for carers to meet other members of the community who may also be supporting their loved ones, and we look forward to welcoming local people through our doors for what promises to be an interesting and inspiring afternoon of information and guidance.”

Those who cannot attend Saturday’s event will have a second chance to hear the talk on Tuesday 21^st May, from 6.30pm-8.30pm. 

The home will also host its popular ‘Friendship Café’ event on Friday 17^th May, from 10.30am-12pm, which is suitable for those living with dementia and offers a chance for local people to meet other carers and make new friends. The informal event will also offer free refreshments.

Dashwood Manor – which opened in September 2021 – is designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives while also promoting independence. The new care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities with luxury facilities, including a café, hair and beauty salon, cinema, bar and gardens.