Media Release

18 December 2007

Local Supported Housing Scheme Scoops Chairman’s Award

A local supported housing scheme for people with dementia has won first prize in an awards ceremony organised by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. The scheme received the Chairman’s Award in the ‘Improving Health and Well-being’ category in recognition of the innovative work they have carried out in improving the services available for local dementia sufferers.

For many people, a diagnosis of dementia can also mean a sentence of social exclusion. Outdated attitudes and ill-founded public perceptions can equate dementia with incapacity, threat and rapid decline.

Not so the tenants in Mullan Mews and Sydenham Court who draw up their shopping lists and go to the market like anyone else. They know value for money when they see it and make their own choices. They remain active members of the community and as independent possible.

These supported housing schemes have radically changed the living options available to people with dementia and their families. Between them, they are home to 57 tenants with dementia who would previously have had to look to care homes as their only alternative living option.

Tenants are fully involved in community activities through their inclusion in community groups, clubs and churches and also maintain regular contact with friends and families.

The two supported housing models recognise the choices that each of us makes in our own lives. Mullan Mews provides the opportunity for people with dementia to live and contribute in a shared house environment. Sydenham Court offers individual apartments. But both supported housing schemes ensure that tenants have a home of their own, their own space and their own front door which ever lifestyle they choose.

Dementia Services Manager, Katie Campbell, who accepted the award on behalf of all those involved in the scheme, said: “Everyone involved in the supported housing scheme is delighted with this Award. It is extremely rewarding for us to be able to support dementia sufferers in a way that allows them to live a meaningful and independent life in the community.”

In the first Chairman’s Awards since the formation of the new Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Chairman Pat McCartan commended the Dementia Services Team for its innovative approach and paid tribute to the dedication and commitment of the staff involved. The winners were presented with a cup and a cheque for £10,000 to be invested in their service area.