Impact review 2011/12

John Hall, 63, works on our Dementia Community Roadshow, taking information and advice out into communities. Two Roadshow vehicles will tour Tesco car parks and other venues around the UK until 2014.

What does the Roadshow aim to achieve?

'Its main purpose is to raise awareness about dementia and Alzheimer's Society - something I believe it does extremely well. As a great big blue vehicle, we really stand out when we set up in Tesco car parks.

'The volunteers and advisers are there to answer questions and discuss concerns. We have lots of leaflets and information on board, and a private space where we can talk to people confidentially.'

Do you get a good response from the public?

'Yes, we do. There's still a certain stigma attached to dementia. But when people see the Roadshow vehicle, they seem to feel they can approach it much more easily than going into an office. Our volunteers and advisers are always open and friendly, which gives the Roadshow a relaxed feel.

'Sometimes people can be tentative to start with, but when you get talking they're usually happy to open up and let you know about their concerns. For those people who just pick up a leaflet on their way by, the Roadshow can be an important prompt. It means that when they are ready to talk to someone about dementia, they'll be better informed.'

What sort of questions and concerns do people have when they come and talk to you and the Roadshow staff?

'Mainly people are worried about their memory and want to know more about dementia. Or sometimes they want to talk about their relatives. We get quite a wide age range visiting us, so sometimes it's young people concerned about their parents or grandparents, other times it's older people with worries about their partner.'

Do you think the Roadshow will help change attitudes to dementia and encourage more people to do something if they're worried?

'It's a really effective way to get information about dementia out into the community, and I know from speaking to people that it helps change attitudes. We understand that talking about dementia for the first time can be difficult. One man walked by the Roadshow five times without stopping or making eye contact, but eventually he came back and when he left us he was smiling. What we can do is alleviate people's worry - they walk away with peace of mind.'

During the year

• We launched our Dementia Community Roadshow, funded for three years through our partnership with Tesco, in June 2011. The Roadshow takes dementia information and advice into the heart of communities, and helped over 37,000 people with questions about dementia in the first year.
• We disseminated the findings of our report on care at home widely, including running a seminar at the National Children and Adult Services Conference. We also published a guide for homecare workers to improve their dementia knowledge, which we promoted at the UK Homecare Association conference and the Care Show.
• We have begun to establish Community Dementia Forums and local Dementia Action Alliances across England. These will play a vital role in shaping and delivering the dementia friendly communities programme, which we launched in March 2012.
• We produced a guide for people with dementia and their carers on reducing the use of antipsychotic drugs, and a best practice guide for health and social care professionals to help them manage behavioural and psychological symptoms - a critical aspect of our work to reduce the use of antipsychotics. Endorsed by the Department of Health, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the guide has been translated into seven languages and is now in use across the UK and internationally.