There are currently more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. The number of people being diagnosed with dementia is growing, and it’s anticipated there will be one million people living with the condition by 2025. 

Going into hospital can be a very frightening and disorienting time for people with dementia, but there’s lots that can be done to make their stay easier to manage, such as making the environment as calm as possible. Improving patients’ surroundings can also make a big difference to their comfort, as well as helping sleep patterns and encouraging appetite.

Already some improvements have been made to wards 8 and 80 at the Hull Royal Infirmary but more can be done. All money donated through this first WISHH Charity appeal was used to support a range of improvements within ward environments, including the creation of cinema style reminiscence areas as illustrated on Look North on 30th January 2019, in the recent live streaming of Hull Truck Theatre’s performance of Jack Lear.  A selection of local artwork is featured throughout the wards to stimulate memory and provide familiarity, and other environmental improvements such as décor and the provision of mood-lighting.

We hope that through this initial project and further fundraising we can continue to create a dementia friendly environment in other wards in our hospitals