Dementia Success Summit
Alec organised a nation-leading Dementia Summit in January, bringing together clinicians, care providers and volunteer leaders to help him make Elmet & Rothwell the UK’s first Dementia Friendly constituency.
The Elmet & Rothwell constituency encompasses the communities surrounding Garforth, Rothwell and Wetherby where it is estimated over 1,500 people are currently living with Dementia.
Alec said: “By 2021 over 1 million people in the UK will be living with Dementia. In one way or another this illness affects all our lives and – as was the case for my own family – a lack of knowledge about how to deal with Dementia often means those living with it don’t always receive the best available care.
I organised this Summit to form one collaborative approach to improving Dementia care services here in our part of Leeds – bringing together GPs, volunteers and care providers in one forum and setting the agenda for first-class Dementia services in the UK”.
The Summit was held at the headquarters of Ideal Carehomes in Garforth. Lawrence Tomlinson, Chairman of Ideal Carehomes commented: “We were only too pleased to support and host Mr Shelbrooke’s Dementia Summit as joint working across health and social care at a local level is vital if we are to ensure those with dementia receive the best possible care. Ideal Carehomes is passionate about delivering compassionate, high quality care. Having an understanding of all the appropriate care options enables an informed choice and has a significant impact on quality of life. For some this may be care at home, others will be more suited to a residential environment, but what is most important is that a one-size fits all approach is not taken and care and community services work together to secure the best outcome for the individual.”
Alec has campaigned for better Dementia care services for a number of years and held a key debate on the topic in the House of Commons last year. In Prime Minister’s Question last week, Prime Minister David Cameron commended the work Alec and volunteers are doing to improve care in our area and committed to setting a clear Dementia strategy across the UK.
