Could You Spot the Signs? Dementia Awareness Week Shines a Light Across Cornwall

Events held to highlight early diagnosis and year-round support

Dementia Action Week is underway across Cornwall, with events, activities and campaigns taking place to encourage early diagnosis and raise awareness of the support available throughout the year.

This year’s awareness push follows a packed Cornwall Dementia Conference, held on Friday 16th May at the Royal Cornwall Showground. The event brought together 180 attendees, including carers, healthcare workers, voluntary organisations, and people living with dementia, for a day of learning and connection.

Dementia in Cornwall

Around 6,000 people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are currently living with a diagnosis of dementia. Many more may be showing symptoms but haven’t yet sought help.

Dr Allison Hibbert, a GP and Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Dementia Partnership, urged people to act if they have concerns.

“This Dementia Action Week, we want to focus on keeping conversations going, to help raise awareness and action in our local area,” said Allison.

“People living with dementia and their carers can feel isolated. It is a long-term condition that can have a huge impact on the person and their loved ones. There are often myths and stigma around the condition. Ensuring people receive a diagnosis and support is so important.

“That’s why we urge people to come forward for a diagnosis. This should be the key to unlock support. If you are worried about yourself or a loved one, please make contact with your GP surgery in the first instance.”

📷Cornwall Dementia Conference

Conference Highlights

This year’s Cornwall Dementia Conference featured a range of talks and demonstrations covering life with dementia – from early signs to end-of-life care. One of the most talked-about experiences was the ‘Virtual Dementia Bus’, a simulator that helps people understand what living with dementia can feel like. The simulator was featured on Channel 5’s Will You Get Dementia?

The day also included a session on Saltash’s progress towards becoming a dementia-friendly community, and a performance from the Saltash Memory Box singers.

Allison described the event as “fun, exhilarating, emotional, soul food – a journey of tears and laughter.” She added: “More than 30 carers and people living with dementia came along and mixed with the world of healthcare, voluntary partners, local council and NHS. It was our best one yet.”

Local Support Available

A wide range of dementia support is available across Cornwall all year round:

• Dementia Together, a collaboration between Disability Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Memory Matters, NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and Alzheimer’s Society, has launched a Dementia Toolkit Video Series answering common questions and offering practical guidance for every stage of the dementia journey.

• The Cornwall Carers Service offers free support to unpaid carers including emotional support, advice and information.

• Promas runs free courses for carers, sharing stories, resources and social events.

• Admiral Nurses provide one-to-one support for families and carers. You can download a leaflet about the service in Cornwall.

• Cornwall Memory Cafés are free, volunteer-run spaces for people with memory loss and their carers – Find a memory Cafe near you.

• Singing for the Brain meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday, run by Teresa Greenaway and the Alzheimer’s Society.

• Sensory Trust offers dementia-friendly walking groups and outdoor activities.

• The Filo Project provides small-group care days in hosts’ homes. They’re currently looking for more hosts in Cornwall.

• Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has information and contact details for NHS dementia and older people’s mental health services.

📷Virtual Dementia Bus

Walk for Dementia Challenge

To support Dementia Action Week, a new fundraising campaign called Walk for Dementia has been launched.

Backed by the Cornwall Dementia Partnership and Memory Matters, the goal is to raise £5,000 for a new dementia-specific website for Cornwall. The money will help respond to calls from Healthwatch Cornwall’s Hear Our Voice dementia report.

People are being encouraged to take on a 100-mile walking challenge between now and 18th August 2025, with a suggested fundraising target of £50 per person.

Understanding Dementia

Dementia is a long-term condition that affects the brain. It can develop in younger people but is more common in older age. Symptoms can vary, with common signs including problems with memory, planning, thinking and communication. The most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Recognising symptoms early allows people and their families to get the support they need. While risk factors like age and genetics can’t be changed, there are many ways to reduce the chances of developing dementia:

• Keep your heart and blood pressure in check

• Exercise regularly and manage cholesterol

• Protect your hearing and wear hearing aids or glasses if needed

• Stay socially connected

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet

• Reduce alcohol intake

• Stop smoking

• Keep your brain active

• Protect your head during sport

To find out more about local support and services, visit the Cornwall Memory Café Network media hub or join the Walk for Dementia challenge.

📷Saltash Memory Box singers