Hampshire & Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance launches during Dementia Action Week

Logo featuring four figures gathered round a purple heart for dementia. The text read HIOW Dementia Alliance. Better together, for dementia support.

Dementia Action Week which this year runs 18th to 24th May, provides an important opportunity to highlight the challenges faced by people living with dementia and those who support them, while also recognising the progress being made locally. This year, Age Concern Hampshire is also marking the launch of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance which is a new collaborative network focused on strengthening dementia support across the region.

The Alliance brings together people with lived experience, carers, community organisations and local partners, with lived experience at its heart, to improve how dementia support works in everyday life.

By working more closely together, members aim to make it easier for people to find the right information, access appropriate services, and feel better supported within their communities.

At its heart, the Alliance is focused on practical change. It seeks to improve coordination between organisations, reduce confusion when navigating services, and ensure that support is more joined-up and accessible for those who need it most.

Working together to improve dementia support

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance has been formed around several key priorities:

  • Bringing people and organisations together
  • Sharing information and good practice
  • Improving signposting to support
  • Supporting more joined-up local services

By connecting services and encouraging collaboration, the Alliance aims to build a stronger, more consistent support network for people affected by dementia across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Dementia can affect every aspect of daily life, not just for the person diagnosed but also for their families and carers. One of the key aims of the Alliance is to  reduce the barriers people often face when trying to access help, so that support feels clearer, more connected and easier to reach at the right time.

Brogan Rehill, Head of Strategy, Partnerships & Community Impact at Age Concern Hampshire and spokesperson for the Alliance said:
“The launch of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance during Dementia Awareness Week reflects a shared commitment to improving everyday experiences for people affected by dementia. By taking a more joined-up approach across organisations and communities, we can help ensure people get the right support at the right time.”

A shared commitment across the region

Dementia Awareness Week is a reminder of the importance of understanding, inclusion and community-based support. The launch of the Alliance builds on this by creating a structure for ongoing collaboration, ensuring that improvements are not only discussed but actively developed and shared across the region.

For communities, this means better communication between services, clearer pathways to support, and a stronger focus on lived experience shaping how services evolve.

Age Concern Hampshire’s role in supporting people affected by dementia

 Age Concern Hampshire is a local independent charity supporting older people across Hampshire. The organisation supports the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance by helping to coordinate activity and bring partners together, alongside its wider work supporting older people, their families and carers through services and community support.

For further information about the alliance please contact Age Concern Hampshire directly on supporters@ageconcernhampshire.org.uk. You can also find a range of resources by following this link Managing Dementia Care – Age Concern Hampshire

Better support for dementia, through closer collaboration.
The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance connects people, organisations and services to make support easier to find.

Living Well in Later Life – Project Case Study

A group of older people sit in a circle on chair enjoying gentle seated movement exercises

Jemma Saunders is a Community Engagement Officer at Age Concern Hampshire. Working across the New Forest and South Hampshire, Jemma runs a range of social groups supported by dedicated volunteers. These groups provide vital opportunities for older people to come together, stay active, and build friendships in a welcoming, supportive environment.

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, Jemma has recently completed training with the British Gymnastics Foundation and is working towards accreditation to deliver the Love to Move programme. Love to Move is a gentle, chair-based exercise programme designed to support both physical movement and cognitive function. Delivered to music, the sessions use repetition and rhythm to encourage coordination, mobility and memory.

Jemma is among the first cohort at Age Concern Hampshire to undertake the training. We caught up with Jemma to find out a bit more about the programme and how it will really help those who attend our Social Groups and Care and Wellbeing Centres.

Jemma, can you tell us a bit more about the training you’ve been undertaking?

“The Love to Move course is run by British Gymnastics Foundation. It’s a two-week structured course run by a trainer and I’ve been enjoying it so much. I’ve had lots to learn and at the end of the course as part of my assessment, I had to deliver a Love to Move session to the trainer assessor, putting everything that I’d learnt into practice for a typical exercise session.”

It sounds great, and have you received a specific accreditation at the end of this training?

“Yes. Because it’s run by British Gymnastics Foundation, I will have a Love to Move accreditation meaning I am fully qualified to deliver these sessions in a group setting. This is a coveted accreditation and highly recognised. Not only will it benefit me in my personal professional development, I can already see how much it will benefit those taking the sessions with me. I’ve been running movement sessions for years but the Love to Move programme is a lot more involved and structured.”

So, can you share a little more about what Love to Move actually involves?

“Of course. Love to Move is a seated chair exercise programme. It involves gentle movement of different parts of the body. Individuals can move at their own pace. The session works to music with gentle routines, encouraging cognitive stimulation through slow movement. The programme uses repetitive music and rhythms to encourage muscle memory and familiarity.”

And how do you feel this benefits people taking these sessions?

“The first thing is just how much fun we have as a group. The sessions are full of laughter and I can honestly say that participants have become friends. It’s the kind of activity where you don’t realise just how good it is for you because you’re too busy having such a laugh. The release of serotonin as a result of exercise is really key as that continues to boost the mood long after the session has ended. Furthermore, taking the sessions consistently and regularly helps with staying mobile and building up memory muscle.”

It sounds like you all have a great time. So what would you say to someone who’s perhaps unsure about joining a session?

“That everyone is welcome and just give it a go. What we do is so beneficial not for the body and mind, but also feeling part of something and making friends. It feels so good after and it’s a bit like when we choose to go to the gym or for a run – you never regret it!”

Brogan Rehill, Head of Strategy, Partnerships and Community Impact at Age Concern Hampshire, said:
“This training is a great example of how The National Lottery Community Fund is enabling us to invest in our people as well as the communities we serve. By equipping our staff with specialist skills, we’re able to deliver high-quality, accessible sessions that support older people to stay active, build confidence and remain connected.

Programmes like this play an important role in prevention, helping people maintain their independence for longer while also creating welcoming spaces where friendships and community connections can grow.”

Age Concern Hampshire’s Living Well in Later Life project is a new five-year initiative, supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, helping older people across Hampshire stay active, independent and connected. Delivered through Care and Wellbeing Centres and local community venues, the project offers accessible physical activity and wellbeing sessions focused on improving strength, balance and overall health, while creating valuable social connections to reduce loneliness and isolation.

The Love to Move sessions are now being delivered at our Social Groups across Hampshire and for members attending our Care and Wellbeing Centres.

For details of when are where the Social Groups take place, please visit Social Groups – Age Concern Hampshire

For more information about our Care and Wellbeing Centres, please visit Care & Wellbeing Centres – Age Concern Hampshire

Alternatively, email enquiries@ageconcernhampshire.org.uk or call 01962 868545.