A group of around 30 professionals, mostly from the BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities, attended an ‘Involving Communities Dementia’ event hosted by Making Space and in partnership with IMWS.
Held at the Al-Hikmah Centre last month, the programme made inroads into what is often a taboo subject within BME communities.
Making Space holds the Dementia Information Service contract across Kirklees and attendees included staff from local community organisations, Housing Associations, Admiral Nurses, Milen Care, Carers Count and many more.
Jane Inglesfield from Making Space, Kirklees Dementia Service Manager, said “This has been without doubt a very successful engagement event with BME community workers and leaders in Kirklees and we have realised that we need to develop our services more to reflect the demographics of Kirklees for BME Dementia.”
Elaine Bostock from Kirklees Dementia Action Alliance, Project Coordinator said “It has been wonderful to see so many people from so many Diverse communities and experiences sharing their knowledge and committing to work together”
Also speaking at the event was local Batley West Councillor Shabbir Pandor who tweeted ‘Delighted to be at BME dementia event. Need to do more to meet growing needs’.
Azizur Rehman IMWS Business Development Officer said that an Alzheimers Society report in 2013 concluded BME groups often access services late – at ‘crisis point’, adding “Communities are not hard to reach, services are hard to reach.”
It is time that BME Communities say what their needs are clearly and openly to CCGs and funding bodies and IMWS would like to hear more from the community about which services are most difficult to reach.
