New film puts spotlight on dementia in BME community

A new film for nurses and other healthcare workers highlights rising cases of dementia in the black and minority ethnic (BME) communities

The rate of dementia among people of BME origin with the UK is expected to rise significantly compared to population as a whole.

Now a new film for healthcare staff made by training body Health Education England (HEE) raises awareness of cultural sensitivities that may lead people who are otherwise reluctant to come forward.

HEE said about 25,000 people from BME backgrounds have dementia, but there is poor awareness of dementia, and low numbers of people accessing care and support services.

The 12-minute film, called Finding Patience, follows a woman and her family as her she develops signs of dementia.

Bigger leap

HEE director of nursing and deputy director of education and quality Lisa Bayliss-Pratt said: 'Finding Patience provides insight in to the experience of dementia within African Caribbean families. The film allows health and social care workers to understand challenges that may be rooted in a person’s cultural background and facilitating person-centred care.’

The All-Parliamentary Group on dementia reported in 2013 that the number of people with the progressive condition from BME backgrounds is to increase seven-fold to more than 170,000 by 2051.

This is a bigger leap than the two-fold increase expected among the rest of the population, as people who moved here between the 1950s and 1970s are reaching their 70s and 80s.

Flavia Munn is a freelance journalist