Published: Wednesday 22 September 2021
Kensington Town Hall and Westminster City Hall will be lit up blue from 4pm this Tuesday 21 September to mark World Alzheimer’s Day.
The Alzheimer’s Society Light Up London campaign will see a wide range of significant buildings across the city lit up blue to raise awareness of dementia. It is part of the Dementia Friendly London initiative which is supported by the Mayor of London.
It is estimated over 3,100 people across Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster are living with dementia and by 2030 this figure is expected to rise to over 5,500.
In February 2020, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster (as the Bi-borough) were recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society as a Dementia Friendly Community. Living well with dementia is about making sure the whole environment that a person with dementia lives in - such as the transport they use, the shops they visit and where they live - can support them to live a happy, fulfilled life.
Cllr Cem Kemahli, Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at Kensington and Chelsea Council, said:
“Light Up London shows solidarity and support with people living with dementia and their families and carers. A dementia friendly London is about being inclusive and compassionate and making sure people are empowered and supported. More than a quarter of people who died as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in England and Wales also had dementia, and as life returns to normal, we want to make sure our residents are supported to live as well as possible.”
Eleni Demetriou, Care Manager at Ethica Care, said:
“We currently support a service user with dementia who only speaks Spanish. Due to the language barrier, we assigned her a Spanish speaking carer. But this has also helped her to live a much better life. Our carer listens to Spanish music with the service user and talks about her hometown. She will also cook traditional Spanish food with her and watch Spanish TV programmes with her.”
Nathalie De Potter, Managing Director of opera-ballet company Constella, said:
“The Connecting Stars project was launched after our Artistic Director, Leo Geyer, gave a live virtual concert to his grandmother who was feeling very lonely in a care home. We set up the project in June 2020, financed by crowdfunding and Arts Council England. Constella’s artists have been performing to residents, many living with dementia related illnesses, in several care homes in the borough and UK wide. The feedback from staff, residents and family members has been heart-warming and we are delighted to be able to continue our work.”
Cllr Tim Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care at Westminster City Council, said:
“We are committed to creating dementia friendly communities in Westminster and ensuring people have the support they need, and are pleased to be supporting the Light Up London campaign.
“Earlier this year we launched our Bi-borough dementia plan, and were recognised across the two boroughs by the Alzheimer’s Society as a Dementia Friendly Community as a result of some very open and honest conversations with over 170 residents living with dementia and their carers. This demonstrates what we are doing to support residents with dementia over the coming years, not just through adult social care but across our communities as well. Living well with dementia is about ensuring the whole environment including transport, shops, sports, arts, leisure and housing can support everyone to live a happy, fulfilled life.”
To read the dementia plan and find more information and support in your borough, visit your local authority website:
- Kensington and Chelsea Council: webtest.rbkc.gov.uk/dementia
- Westminster City Council: www.westminster.gov.uk/dementia