A new Sheffield Dementia Strategy has a strong focus on the increased risk of dementia for ethnic minority groups and providing dementia support that is accessible and culturally appropriate.
The plan has committed to increasing the diagnosis rates for people across ethnic minority groups, working with communities to develop and use more culturally and linguistically appropriate resources and diagnosis tools.
In the Darnall and Burngreave wards on the east side of Sheffield, approximately 60.9 per cent and 64.3 per cent of people are understood to be an ethnic minority respectively, according to Census data.
It is estimated that there are over 6,000 people aged over 65 currently living with dementia in Sheffield, but Ms Jo Pass, Assistant Director of Living and Ageing Well, said that there is a “significantly underestimated” number of people with dementia.
Councillor Angela Argenzio, Chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “Our vision is to make sure people with dementia are supported by being in the right environment, with the right support around them.”
The Policy Committee Decision Report states that feedback that patients from ethnic minority groups have increased barriers to diagnosis due to a lack of culturally appropriate information and diagnostic tests.
National evidence highlights that dementia rates are 22 per cent higher among black people in the UK compared to white people, while black and South Asian dementia patients die younger, and sooner after diagnosis.
From national research, vulnerable individuals face increased dementia risk due to lifelong exposure to risk factors, compounded by poverty and ethnicity.
The approved plan consists of nine commitments, with the goal of ensuring: “Sheffield will become a dementia-friendly city—where individuals, communities, organisations and businesses all support people with dementia to live as well as they can.”
Cllr Argenzio said: “One of the biggest highlights from the results showed how difficult lives can become for those living with dementia if there isn’t consistency. Consistency makes a world of difference. Our job is to make sure they are fully supported, and we want to achieve this through these commitments.”
Councillor Ruth Milsom, Chair of the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee, said: “I am wondering how we can work on the social describing site in terms of whether all the people in the system know how to sign a post.
“For carers, what kind of platforms and channels could be considered to prove the model of sharing.”
The members of the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee have approved the plan which will run from 2025 to 2030.