People with dementia urged to help shape future support services

PEOPLE LIVING with dementia and their carers are being urged to help shape the future of support for the condition in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council currently provides aid for people diagnosed with dementia, concerned about memory issues and their carers. The authority is proposing change how services are run, with support delivered by private, voluntary and community providers instead.

The county council’s executive member for public health, prevention and supported housing, Coun Caroline Dickinson, said helping people living with dementia to stay well and independent was a “key priority” for the authority.

She said: “To make sure we continue to make best use of the money available, we are continuing to engage with people living with dementia, their family and carers, as well as professionals working in health and social care to co-design a service which delivers the outcomes of the dementia strategy.”

A ‘market place’ event on the proposals will be held at County Hall in Northallerton on Thursday, September 13, at 1.30pm.

Meanwhile, a new respite care facility for people with profound and complex learning disabilities has opened near Scarborough.

Kelly’s Place, run by Happy Futures Support Specialists Limited, is a bespoke two-bedroom bungalow in Burnside, Eastfield, featuring en-suite bathrooms, tracker hoists and ample moving space for wheelchairs.

The facility was part-funded by NHS England, Happy Futures and NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group.

Depending on the individual’s needs, it offers one-to-one or twoto-one support day and night.