Living well with dementia

Healthwatch Bolton undertook research on living well with dementia in Bolton. They spoke to 166 people living with dementia, current and former carers, and health and care professionals through surveys, focus groups, case studies and community engagement activities.

The report found that many people experience delays and inconsistency in the dementia diagnostic pathway. While some received timely referrals and helpful support from GPs and memory services, others described long waits for assessment, difficulties obtaining referrals and little support while waiting for a diagnosis. Many carers felt overwhelmed, received limited guidance after diagnosis and struggled to find clear information about what to expect as dementia progressed.

People consistently described community organisations, particularly Bolton Dementia Support, memory cafés and carers' support services, as vital sources of information, social connection and emotional support. However, many felt that support across Bolton is fragmented, difficult to navigate and overly dependent on people finding services for themselves. Carers frequently reported exhaustion, financial pressures, difficulties accessing respite care and a lack of meaningful support for their own health and wellbeing. Many respondents also felt Bolton is not yet sufficiently dementia-friendly, citing barriers related to transport, public services and wider awareness of dementia.

Healthwatch Bolton concluded that dementia support needs to be more joined up, accessible and person-centred. Key recommendations included improving access to memory assessment services, creating a single point of access for dementia information and advice, expanding respite care, strengthening post-diagnostic support, improving support for carers, embedding advance care planning earlier, increasing dementia awareness across communities and services, and ensuring people living with dementia and their carers are directly involved in shaping local services.