Winners announced from the inaugural International Dementia Awards 2015

• EKTA – Dementia & the Arts Award
  This award recognises art work that represents people with dementia or engages with dementia in art forms created by people with or without dementia including for example, but not exclusively painting, film, drama, documentaries or photography.

  This year’s winner, Ramesh Verma (and her volunteers) at EKTA Project (pictured) have been working hard to raise awareness of dementia for South Asian elders in innovative ways. This includes a play about a family who originally came to the UK from the Punjab, performed by volunteers up to the age of 73, who have given nearly 20 performances across London.

• Christeen Winford – Dementia Festival Award
  This award recognises work undertaken to establish fulfilling and rewarding lives for people after diagnosis of dementia.  This can be a one off or on-going activity.

  This year’s winner, Christeen Winford (Scottish film maker) made the film Darkness in the Afternoon a number of years ago. This film portrays Marie who has dementia and her husband who she sees as a threatening stranger. The story is seen through the eyes of Marie and her reality. The difference between this reality and how she appears to others is vividly portrayed as the story ends. Darkness in the Afternoon is now recognised as a valuable learning tool to change the way people think about people with dementia and it has stood the test of time.

• Kate Swaffer – Dementia Leader of the Year Award
  This award recognises an individual who has made a considerable difference to the lives of people with dementia nationally or internationally.

  This year’s winner, Kate Swaffer (Dementia Alliance International) lives with younger onset dementia and is the chairperson of the Dementia Alliance International. She is leading the advocacy movement to have people living with dementia fully included in the development of policy and dementia friendly initiatives. Kate blogs every day.

• Orfield Laboratories – Design Innovation Award
  This award recognises a communal or private setting used by people with dementia that demonstrates good design.

  This year’s winner, Orfield Laboratory, is a 44 year old multi-disciplinary architectural and product lab that works with disabilities to help the world move toward perceptual and cognitive universal design.  They have made the first effort worldwide to develop a perceptual and cognitive standard for people over the age of ninety that can be used to design aging environments.

• The Guinness Partnership – Housing & Dementia Award
  This award recognises innovation and high quality in provision of housing and housing support for people with dementia that allows them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. This year’s winner, The Guinness Partnership, set out to support the approximately 1,000 older tenants living with dementia, helping more of them to remain independent and live in their own homes for longer and to live well with dementia.  This award not only recognises their commitment to continue the good practice that they have already identified, but to focus on making change based on the views of people with dementia, those who live with them, and front line staff of the organisation.
• Western Trust – Service Innovation Team Award
  The team of the year could come from any service that supports people with dementia.  Nominees had to demonstrate that they have enhanced quality of services received by people with dementia through their work, for example as a clinical commissioning team, a care home group, a housing organisation or other.

  This year’s winner, WHSCT (Londonderry, Northern Ireland) memory service aims to detect and assess dementia at the earliest possible stage, make treatment recommendations and provide information and support to patients and care givers. They are committed to the principle of involving users and carers in the design, delivery and evaluation of its services. The views of users and carers are taken account of, valued and acted upon in all service changes. Involvement of people with dementia is crucial to the heart of good care, and early diagnosis is vital.

The Awards were presented by Baroness Joan Bakewell as the centrepiece of the Conference Dinner and nominations were invited from across the globe.

The conference was aimed at all those who support people with dementia including doctors, nurses, social workers, allied health professionals, service commissioners, inspectors, planners/architects, paramedics, housing organisations, the police, faith leaders, voluntary and private sector staff and people with dementia.