We’ve teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Society to produce a dementia-friendly sport and physical activity guide.
The guide, which was produced with National Lottery funding and can be downloaded from the Alzheimer's Society website, aims to help the sports sector bring down barriers that prevent people living with dementia from taking part in sport and physical activity.
Tim Hollingsworth, our chief executive, said the document would go some way to building a dementia-friendly society and help more people get active.
“We want to transform the way the sport and physical activity sector thinks, acts and talks about dementia – with every leisure centre, community hall and sports club equipped with the resources to meet the needs of those living with the condition,” he added.
850,000
people live with dementia in the UK
“Whether it’s a leisure facility management team, reception desk staff, an exercise professional leading a class, community coaches, or volunteers, we need them to make the small changes needed to support people affected by dementia to get active and keep active.
“Defeating dementia won’t happen overnight, but until that day, we must all pull together to create a dementia-friendly society and that is why I’m proud to support this guide and commend the sport and physical activity sector for uniting against dementia.”
Dementia is one of the greatest challenges facing society today and there are more than 850,000 people living with the condition in the UK.
Yet many people with dementia say they experience barriers to taking part in activity.
These could include difficulty in navigating around a sports facility or remembering how to use equipment in a leisure centre.
Others say they worry about people’s reactions, for example, staff not understanding their difficulties, or a lack of confidence in finding the right activities.