CIOB announces support for ‘Dementia Friends’

Institute sets up partnership with alzheimer’s society to
improve dementia understanding.

The CIOB is delighted to announce that it is supporting the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Dementia Friends’ initiative. The CIOB is working with the Alzheimer’s Society to support the construction sector in becoming more dementia-friendly.

Some 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, a
number that is expected to rise to one million by 2021. However, 93% of homes
lack basic accessibility features.

Through the partnership, CIOB members will gain access to
resources that help them understand how dementia affects people’s lives, and
what considerations can be put in place within the built environment to have a
positive impact on those with such conditions.

CIOB chief executive Caroline Gumble said: “I am very pleased that the CIOB is partnering with the Alzheimer’s Society. The construction industry plays a vital role in creating, developing and maintaining the built environment for everyone, including those with long-term health conditions.

“We know that CIOB members are already doing a lot of great
work in this area and we want to support the rest of the construction community
in improving provision for all members of society and make a lasting,
positive impact.”

The CIOB Academy currently provides a course, Dementia
Awareness, to understand more about dementia, the small actions you can take to
support customers and colleagues affected by dementia, identify the ways the
built environment can cause challenges for people with dementia, and take steps
to make the built environment more dementia friendly.

Other previous work by the CIOB on how the industry can work towards benefiting dementia can be found online.