Recent figures suggest that around 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, expected to rise to one million by 2025.
Now, our health researchers are developing a new programme to support people living with dementia.
Reaching out
Beyond the Margins is led by our researchers who are working with Innovations in Dementia, University of Edinburgh, Join Dementia Research and the National Institute for Health Research.
Funded by the Alzheimer's Society, it was set up to reach people who aren't currently receiving any support, a problem exacerbated by the pandemic.
The project includes a seven week programme called Getting on with Life (GO), which brings together people recently diagnosed with dementia and facilitators to explore ways of living well with the condition.
Participants meet weekly through video calls where they listen to each other's stories, hear from guest speakers who live with dementia, and learn from each other.
Improving lives
The programme aims to support people to live as well as possible, recognising that each person's experiences of dementia are different.
We want the programme to help people with dementia to have more confidence in their everyday lives and improve their quality of life
It is hoped that the results of the programme can be used to inform health and social care practices for supporting those affected by dementia through integrating the GO programme into existing services.