Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services (ADSS)
Empowering Kent residents living with dementia to stay safe and warm at home
Our project at a glance
- Priority vulnerability group: Critically ill people
- Strategic priority area: Supporting priority vulnerability groups to access tailored support services
- Support target: 2,600 households
- Duration: September 2024 to March 2026
- Investment: £457,118 over 19 months
- Forecast SROI: £1.70
My mum kept putting on her gas hob on and forgetting she had done so; this happened a couple of times and it really worried us. We asked for support from ADSS, and they helped by referring us to have a gas lock valve fitted to my mum’s cooker. This was a huge help, and it was done so quickly. It eliminated the stress of mum having a possible accident and it allows the carers to be able to still cook her fresh meals. We did not know that having a gas lock fitted to the cooker was an option, so very thankful for ADSS helping us with that.
ADSS service user
Why we’re working together
More than 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK, according to the Department for Health. Across Kent and Medway, there are currently 27,000 people living with dementia.
Symptoms of the condition, including problems with memory loss, understanding and decision-making, can make it harder for people with dementia to maintain a safe and warm home.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services (ADSS) is the leading specialist dementia service in Kent, with a local reputation for providing excellence in dementia care and support. ADSS is an integral part of the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System Dementia Pathway and has over 32 dementia coordinators linked to primary care networks across the region.
We’ve proudly partnered with ADSS to work with households living with dementia across Medway, North Kent and West Kent, who are experiencing barriers to accessing services and support to stay safe and warm in their own homes.
Through our co-designed programme, an appointed and dedicated project coordinator will work with ADSS’ existing dementia coordinators to identify and support people affected by dementia in three key areas: gas safety in the home, increasing home energy efficiency and providing support to help people keep affordably warm.
Project objectives
- Providing personalised energy advice and guidance to households living with dementia
- Facilitating referrals to our expert partner for in-depth energy and income maximisation advice
- Supporting eligible households to sign up for the Priority Services Register
- Educating households on the benefits of a free locking cooker valve for households living with dementia
- Raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety and providing free CO alarms to households most at risk of CO harm
- Delivering a winter warmth social media campaign to reach 15,000 households with key energy safeguarding information
How we’re working together
Personalised energy advice and guidance
Through home visits from the ADSS team, we’re providing advice and guidance to 2,600 households living with dementia on how to use energy safely, affordably and efficiently at home.
We’ll be helping households to register for the PSR, as well as sharing information about our free safety device, the locking cooker valve, which can help people living with dementia to stay safe in their own home and provide reassurance to carers and loved ones.
When the ADSS team identifies a household that could benefit from more in-depth energy advice and guidance – particularly those living in the more deprived areas of Kent and Medway – we’ll support the households through an onward referral to our Safe & Warm community partner YES Energy Solutions. Households will be able to benefit from tailored advice around income maximisation, energy efficiency measures and accessing hardship funding.
Energy safeguarding and fuel debt advice training
Training is a central element of our programme with ADSS. We’re training a new ADSS project coordinator to achieve the City & Guilds Energy Awareness (6281-01) qualification, equipping them with knowledge of how vulnerable households can keep warm at home while saving money on energy bills.
We’re also delivering in-person training for 50 frontline workers and volunteers on energy safeguarding. This training will enable them to triage vulnerable households, providing basic advice and signposting to organisations that can provide more in-depth support.
Community outreach
We’re providing safeguarding information for people living with dementia through more than 50 energy advice sessions at dementia wellbeing groups. Through these group sessions, we aim to reach at least 600 vulnerable households.
Winter warmth social media campaign
Ahead of winter 2024, we’ll deliver a winter warmth social media campaign targeting more than 15,000 people within Medway, North Kent and West Kent who are affected by dementia. The campaign will provide information and guidance about energy safeguarding.
How to get involved
Accessing support from the ADSS initiative
As one of our VCMA network partners, you can refer households living with dementia in Medway, North Kent and Medway for support through the ADSS website.
Becoming an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services partner
You can find out more about partnering with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services on the charity’s website.
We are thrilled that we have the opportunity to work with SGN to ensure that people affected by dementia are not left behind when it comes to energy safety, affordability and efficiency. Living with dementia brings with it is a host of devastating consequences and we are dedicated to ensuring that the people we support can live the life they choose and that starts with being comfortable, safe and warm. As ADSS is Kent's biggest independent dementia charity, we are keen to adapt our support to meet the needs of our local communities. This partnership will help us rise to the demands of support needed as an effect of the cost of living crisis, increasing energy prices and reducing state support. With this partnership we can ensure our team can offer the best possible advice and information.