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Dementia: how well do you know the facts?
Here is a short quiz to test your knowledge.

• How many people in the UK suffer with dementia?
  1. 500,000
  2. 850,000
  3. 2 million
• The number of people living with dementia is…
  1. Increasing
  2. Decreasing
  3. Staying consistent
• A cure for dementia has been found
  1. True
  2. False
• Dementia can affect a person’s…
  1. Language
  2. Mood and emotions
  3. Memory
  4. Behaviour
  5. All of the above

The answers?

Research shows more than 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, a syndrome that affects one in 14 adults over the age of 65, and one in six over the age of 80. As people are living longer the number of people with dementia is increasing, and it is estimated by 2025 this number will rise to over one million.

Although a cure has not been found, an early diagnosis can help curb the progression of a dementia disease, such as Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, allowing a person to maintain their full cognitive function for as long as possible.

For those living with dementia or their loved ones who witness the full effects, the symptoms can be difficult to come to terms with. A person’s memory and understanding of the world around them can change, alongside their ability to carry out basic tasks or communicate effectively with others. For some, dementia can have a severe effect on a person’s mood, behaviour and interest in aspects of their life that previously brought joy and happiness.

Eco-therapy  

Kent Wildlife Trust, a conservation charity that focuses on bringing people closer to nature, has teamed up with the NHS to deliver eco-based therapies to people living with dementia. The project will work closely with the Harmonia Dementia Village in Dover which is the first of its kind; an NHS residential village which uses a person-centered approach to dementia care.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is funding a Nature and Wellbeing Officer who will deliver a programme of activities to village residents. From simple wildlife gardening such as sowing seeds, pruning and planting; to wildlife watching and identification; to landscape painting and photography; this new scheme will help combat the loneliness and isolation that is associated with dementia and aims to improve the overall wellbeing of each individual.