Putting housing at the centre of dementia support

Vanessa Pritchard-Wilkes, Chair of the Dementia and Housing Working Group and Head of Research and Influence at Housing 21, has spent years championing the role that housing plays in supporting people living with dementia. In her guest blog, she sets out what the group does, why it matters this Dementia Action Week, and how you can get involved.

It’s estimated that over 900,000 people in the UK are living with dementia – and where they live matters enormously. Yet housing remains one of the most underutilised levers in dementia support. The Dementia and Housing Working Group (DHWG) exists to change that.

The DHWG is a national group that champions the critical role housing plays in supporting people affected by dementia. The group’s work is rooted in the aim of improving health, wellbeing and quality of life for people living with dementia – now and into the future.

The group brings together a broad range of volunteer stakeholders from across housing, health, design, policy and research, united by a shared belief that good housing can make a real, measurable difference.

A shared focus for change

The work of the DHWG centres on four key areas:

• Improving outcomes for people living with dementia – through housing provision, policy development or appropriate design, ensuring people can live well in spaces that genuinely support them
• Raising standards across housing and dementia – helping the sector respond more effectively and consistently, from supported housing providers to local authorities
• Sharing knowledge and resources through the DHWG website – making good practice easier to find and apply, whatever the size and stage of your organisation
• Supporting and promoting dementia awareness training – building confidence and understanding across networks and organisations, so that more housing professionals feel equipped to respond.

Together, these priorities reflect the group’s commitment to supporting both people living with dementia and the professionals working alongside them.

Sharing learning through webinars

Over 150 housing, care and related professionals regularly attend the DHWG webinar series –Housing: Rising to the dementia challenge. That level of engagement reflects a genuine appetite for learning and shared discussion. Kindly supported by Housing LIN as part of the HAPPI Hour programme, these sessions provide a space to explore current challenges and highlight and share emerging and good practice.  

A core aim of the series is to ensure that everyone leaves with something to take back to their organisation, regardless of its size or stage of development – whether that’s a new policy insight or a practical tool to use straight away.

Resources and opportunities to get involved

Alongside the webinar programme, a growing range of resources is available through the Housing LIN website, offering insight, guidance and practical tools to enable organisations and individuals to become more dementia friendly. These include:

• A dementia hub, signposting to a range of information and support
• A dementia-friendly design guide, offering practical guidance for housing providers and commissioners
• A dementia champion role spec, to help organisations embed awareness and expertise from within.

Whether you're just starting to think about how your organisation can better support people living with dementia, or looking to build on existing work, there's something here for you.

This Dementia Action Week, prioritise time to visit the DHWG pages on the Housing LIN webpage and explore the resources available. Here, you can connect with a national group which is working to strengthen the role of housing in supporting people living with dementia.

Find out more here.