IN a bid to help them better understand tenants suffering from dementia, four leading housing associations have signed up to a training project run by Liverpool museums.
It's estimated that one-third of those who make it past 65 will end up with the condition by the end of their lives, so Liverpool Mutual Homes, Knowsley Housing Trust, the Regenda Group and Riverside have joined the House of Memories programme.
They say the hope the scheme, operated by National Museums Liverpool, will empower their workforce, tenants, neighbourhoods and local communities to gain awareness of dementia and develop a deeper understanding of tenants living with the condition.
The programme has been working with the health and social care sector for more than a year. Housing staff will attend training sessions geared specifically to situations and scenarios that can occur in their daily work concerning people living with dementia.
Carol Rogers, NML's head of education and communities said: “Working with housing associations and providers is so important, because older people make up a substantial proportion of the tenant population living in social housing. We all have to work harder at every level to make sure they feel secure in their living situations.”
More than 86,000 people in the North West region are currently diagnosed with dementia. 800,000 people in the UK are now living with dementia and an estimated 21 million people know someone with dementia – that’s 42pc of the population.
For further information about the House of Memories and training opportunities, please email learning@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk or call 0151 478 4240.
