Dementia-friendly Housing Charter and GreenSquare's Role therein.


Hi Everybody. Hope you all had a good Easter and like myself are now recovering from the almost non-stop onslaught of chocolate eggs.


With Dementia Awareness week starting on the 14th May, I thought now would be a good idea to look at what is needed to make housing more dementia friendly and how GreenSquare can help this take shape.


Early last month, the Alzheimer's Society published the Dementia-friendly housing charter.




This looked at the difference that suitable housing can make, the scale of the challenge and what committing to the charter means.


The aims and objectives of the charter seeks to make the housing sector, including housing organisations, corporate bodies and sector professionals, aware of the challenges of people living with dementia so that it can improve home environments for people with the condition.


Housing, it's design and supporting services, can subsequently help to improve and maintain the wellbeing of people affected by dementia by taking the following actions :

• Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders within the housing sector to encourage increased awareness of the contribution of housing to the challenges posed by dementia.
• Provision of relevant resources and examples of good practice to encourage their integration into all aspects of people (staff), places and processes.

By equipping housing sector professionals with information and additional resources, the charter aims to improve knowledge and understanding of dementia so that all projects consider ways of minimising risks and enhancing wellbeing for people living with dementia. This resource cab be used to influence and support all target audiences.


Who is the charter for?


The charter is aimed at the full range of professionals working in the housing sector, from planners and architects to landlords and developers, housing managers and handypersons. It is designed to help all professionals support people living with dementia in their homes and facilitate consistency and good practice.
Organisations are encouraged to improve existing action plans or develop new ones in order to future-proof their organisations and services, and sign up to deliver a number of the commitment statements within the charter.


So I hear you say, what can a housing association do to support their tenants to live with dementia.
Well this is what Waltham Forest Housing Association (WFHA) did.

1. It appointed Dementia Champions - operational and strategic- who lead the integration of dementia into all work processes rather than treat it as a separate topic.
2. It audited properties as part of estate inspections and support planning to give them a broad knowledge, from which an internal action plan was developed which is reviewed and updated regularly (at least every 6 months)
3. It set up Waltham Forest Dementia Action Alliance and currently chair this group
4. It trained all staff on the Board and the main contractors as Dementia Friends.
5. It introduced the Sunshine Club to raise awareness with tenants at fun sessions: they meet once a month for activities such as pamper sessions, arts and crafts, fitness and black history celebrations
6. It developed a dementia-friendly specification for works on empty properties
7. It incorporated dementia design into it's cyclical and planned maintenance programmes

Within it's community WFHA works with Leyton Orient FC, who for the third year have dedicated a match to raising awareness of dementia.


So how does GreenSquare match up with this?

1. It has appointed a Dementia Champion (my good self) to raise awareness of the subject.
2. It is part of the Gloucester Dementia Action Alliance and I am one of the co-chairs of the group.
3. It has run Lunch and Learns for staff to raise awareness of the subject via Dementia Friends sessions in Gloucester, Chippenham and Oxford.

Gloucester Dementia Action Alliance has already received funds from Gloucester Rugby Club from their game against Worcester, where they kindly sold dementia wristbands in order to raise funds and the profile of the Gloucester Dementia Action Alliance.


So we've managed to already hit 3 of the 7 goals within the housing association charter that WFHA incorporated as well as establishing links within the community's largest sporting establishment. Not bad considering we've only really been doing this from September of 2016. Let's look at the other goals set by WFHA and see if we can achieve this within the forthcoming year.


Why sign up to the charter?


"By 2020, we would like to see an increased number of people with dementia being able to live longer in their own homes when it is in their interests to do so, with a greater focus on independent living" - Prime Minister's challenge on dementia 2020.


The number of people with dementia is increasing. This presents challenges to society as a whole and has specific implications for the housing industry.


By recognising this, and by committing to the charter, organisations will publicly announce their agreement to deliver on a number of statements which they will commit to in ways appropriate to their size, state of maturity and the level of available resources in the organisation.


The benefits of signing the charter include :

•  demonstrating leadership within the sector by proactively addressing the societal challenges posed by an increasing incidence of dementia.
• increased awareness of how dementia and it's challenges affect the services and products that an organisation offers.
• ensuring that the needs of customers are met in a consistent and appropriate manner
• creating an organisation in which customers feel comfortable discussing their needs
• being perceived by partners as dementia friendly, which may enhance reputation

Over the last decade, a significant amount of work has been undertaken to understand how physical spaces and design can be developed, constructed and managed to help people living with dementia to live well in all types of housing.
There is an increased need and demand for suitable housing for older people, including those living with dementia. This charter draws on relevant research and learning into a single guidance document and signposts to additional resources.


This charter is a key deliverable of the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia 2020 which calls on sectors to explore ways in which they can provide a more dementia-friendly approach and to produce guidance and share best practice across sectors.


Housing is also a key area for action outlined in the creation of a dementia-friendly community as dictated by the BSI  code of practice.


As well as providing guidance, the dementia-friendly housing charter contains commitments that we encourage organisations to sign up to. By committing to the charter, organisations will publicly announce their agreement to deliver on the commitment statements that are most relevant to them.


What the charter is also involved with is creating dementia-friendly communities. A dementia-friendly community is a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported. It's a place where they can feel confident that they can contribute to the community life. In a dementia-friendly community, people will be aware of and understand dementia, and people with dementia will feel included and involved, and will have choice and control over their day to day lives.


The difference that suitable housing can make.







Two thirds of people with dementia in the UK live in their own home in the community, with one third living on their own. Approximately one third of people living with dementia are in a housing with care setting.


Housing and housing related services can play an important role in ensuring that people living with dementia and their families and carers, live happier, healthier and more independent lives.


It is not just specialist supported housing providers and those involved with adaptations who can play an important role in this - other organisations can make a significant contribution. This includes those with aspects such as the design of space in ordinary housing, or training staff in all housing professions to understand the needs of those with dementia.


Essentially, all housing and housing-related services can ensure that people living with dementia  and their carers can reach the outcomes outlined in the National dementia declaration.


The National Dementia Declaration 2009


This identified 7 outcomes that people living with dementia and their carers would like to see in their lives:

1. I have personal choices and control over the decisions that affect me.
2. I know that services are designed around me, my needs and my carer's needs.
3. I have support that helps me live my life.
4. I have the knowledge and know-how to get what I need.
5. I live in an enabling and supportive environment where I feel valued and understood.
6. I have a sense of belonging and of being a valued party of family, community and civic life.
7. I know there is research going on which delivers a better life for me now and hope for the future.

In order to see this happen, it is vital for the housing sector to :

• ensure that policies incorporate the need to provide suitable housing for people living with dementia
• encourage the adoption of good practice in providing housing  and housing-related services for people living with dementia, wherever they live
• ensure that all stakeholders identify what they are able to contribute towards developing and maintaining dementia-friendly communities
• promote awareness of dementia and how living well can help reduce social exclusion and discrimination

The scale of the challenge





Improving the different areas of housing to help support people with dementia requires many hundreds of thousands of people working across the housing sector, as well as involvement from many other stakeholders. Working together to understand and address the wide range of issues people with dementia face, they can create the change needed.


Key Facts about Housing and People with Dementia


Here are some key facts about housing and people living with dementia

• There is only enough specialist housing to accommodate 5% of the over 65 population
• Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community, mostly in mainstream housing, a third live on their own, predominantly in the owner occupied sector
• 2 million older households are living in non-decent homes
• 95% of homes lack even basic accessibility features
• Home adaptations improved the quality of life for 90% of recipients as well as carers
• An Alzheimer's Society report found that more needed to be done to ensure homes were designed and built with the needs of people affected by dementia in mind
• The International Longevity Centre UK has predicted that a shortage of 160,000 retirement housing by 2030 and that by 2050, the gap could grow to 376,000

Influencing Policy and Decision Making


The charter can also be used to influence policy and decision-making by the following bodies in regards to their work within the housing sector:

• local authority and commissioning bodies
• adult social care services
• clinical commissioning groups/primary care services
• NHS hospital trusts (acute health services)
• estate agents and property management companies
• other local networks, organisations and partners
• regulators and funders

The following services are not considered within the scope of this charter:

• care homes
• hospices
• independent homecare organisations (other than those delivering care in specialist houses)

Follow the following site to see what is happening in Wales regarding award winning dementia housing http://www.housingcare.org/housing-care/facility-info-158842-llys-jasmine-mold-wales.aspx


What does committing to the charter mean?

By signing the charter, your organisation undertakes an important 2 step process

1. Sign up to the charter and commitments - You will sign up to the charter through the Alzheimer's Society website. Using your communication channels, you should then publicly announce your intention to deliver on the relevant charter commitment statements. Incorporate specific actions into your Dementia Action Alliance action plan if applicable.
2. Delivery of the commitments specific to your stakeholder group within a set, individually determined and planned time-frame.

A commitment to this charter will involve selecting a senior member of staff to champion the initiative and ensure that the appropriate delivery plan is established and progressed with the object of completing the identified commitments.
You should provide evidence on your progress and report back on this and your outcomes on the identified commitment statements.
A commitment to the charter should also ensure that housing for people with dementia features in any of your housing policy, asset management and commissioning discussions.


Housing organisations should act as ambassadors for dementia-friendly communities and build relationships with local stakeholders to encourage them to adopt dementia-friendly practices.


So that's the Dementia Friendly Housing Charter but are there any other models that we could learn from.





Maybe we could do with a bit of Dutch Courage.


Presenting Hogeweyk

•Hogeweyk is a revolutionary village in Weesp, Holland that has a unique and pioneering care facility for elderly people with dementia.

•Hogeweyk’s view on care is founded in day to day life in society. In normal society living means having your own space to live and managing your own household. People live together with other people sharing the same ideas and values in life. This makes the place where one lives a home. Hogeweyk residents have already lived a life where they shaped their own life, where they made choices about their own household and standards. The fact that a resident cannot function “normally” in certain areas, being handicapped by dementia, does not mean that they no longer have a valid opinion on their day to day life and surroundings. The residents opinion on life, housing, values and standards determine their “lifestyle”. There are 7 lifestyles defined in Hogeweyk: urban, artisan, Indonesian, homey, Goois, cultural and Christian. Every Hogeweyk home houses six to eight people with the same lifestyle. This lifestyle can be seen in the decor and layout of the house, the interaction in the group and with the members of staff, day to day activity and the way these activities are carried out. Every house manages its own household with a permanent staff. Another aspect of normal living is being able to move freely inside the house AND outside. A normal house in a normal village in a safe environment gives the residents of Hogeweyk this freedom in safety.

• The Hogeweyk (part of Hogewey care centre. A weyk or wijk being a group of houses, similar to a village) is a specially designed village with 23 houses for 152 dementia-suffering seniors. The elderly all need nursing home facilities and live in houses differentiated by lifestyle. Hogeweyk offers 7 different lifestyles: Goois (upper class), homey, Christian, artisan, Indonesian and cultural. The residents manage their own households together with a constant team of staff members. Washing, cooking and so on is done every day in all of the houses. Daily groceries are done in the Hogeweyk supermarket . Hogeweyk offers its dementia-suffering inhabitants maximum privacy and autonomy. The village has streets, squares, gardens and a park where the residents can safely roam free. Just like any other village Hogeweyk offers a selection of facilities, like a restaurant, a bar and a theatre. These facilities can be used by Hogeweyk residents AND residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Everybody is welcome to come in!

If you would like to know more about Hogeweyk then follow the link http://hogeweyk.dementiavillage.com/en/

This is something we could look at exploring in England as it's unique selling point is the lack of anxieties and general state of happiness of it's residents.

And that about covers this blog. If you would like to know more then please feel free to either leave comments or contact me at GreenSquare.