Dementia Awareness Day Returns to Beetham Nurseries for a Fourth Year

A green Home Instead van with promotional graphics parked outside a brick building. - Home Instead

Home Instead South Lakes and Heron Hill Care Home are delighted to bring Dementia Awareness Day to Beetham Nurseries for the fourth consecutive year.

Our goal is simple: to help build a dementia friendly community, where people living with dementia, and the families who support them, feel understood, included and never alone.

A Day of Understanding and Connection

Join us for a day dedicated to raising awareness, sharing knowledge and connecting people with local support. At the heart of the event is the Virtual Dementia Tour, an immersive and eye-opening experience that offers a glimpse into what living with dementia may feel like. It’s a powerful way to build empathy and understanding, whether you’re a family carer, a professional, or simply someone who wants to learn.

Visitors will also have the chance to meet local support organisations, collect free information packs and speak to experts about dementia, diagnosis and the services available across our community.

New for this year, we’re hosting a Dementia Information Talk from 3:00pm–4:30pm in the marquee, a dedicated session for anyone wanting to dig a little deeper into diagnosis, support and next steps.

Two smiling people sit at a table with notebooks and a laptop, writing and looking towards the camera. - Home Instead

Step Into Their World: The Virtual Dementia Tour

At the heart of Dementia Awareness Day is the Virtual Dementia Tour by Training 2 Care, an immersive, hands-on experience that lets you feel, for a few minutes, what it might be like to live with dementia.

Wearing specialist sensory equipment, from goggles that distort vision to gloves that dull touch and headphones that fill your ears with disorientating sound, participants are asked to complete a series of everyday tasks. What sounds simple from the outside, such as getting dressed or setting a table, suddenly becomes confusing, frustrating and overwhelming. It’s a powerful, sometimes emotional few minutes, and one that stays with people long after they take the equipment off.

The tour isn’t just eye-opening, it’s practical. Many family carers, friends and professionals come away with a genuinely different understanding of the small, everyday adjustments that can make a real difference to someone living with dementia: patience with a task that’s taking longer than expected, a calmer environment, or simply recognising when someone feels lost or afraid.

Because the tour is one-to-one and takes time to run properly, slots are limited each day, so we’d always recommend booking ahead rather than relying on being able to drop in.

A green Home Instead van parked on a wet road next to trees and a white building on a rainy day. - Home Instead

Meet The Support Groups

Throughout the day, you’ll be able to meet a range of local support organisations on hand to offer advice and signpost you to further help, including:

Come along, ask questions, and find out what support is available right on your doorstep.

People chatting and browsing information stalls under a decorated marquee at a community event. - Home Instead

Why This Matters in Cumbria

Around 7,800 people aged 65 and over are currently living with dementia in Cumbria, and that number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Early diagnosis and access to the right support can make a real difference to quality of life, for the person living with dementia and for those who love and care for them. That’s exactly what this event is here to help with: connecting people with the information and guidance they need, when they need it.

Plan Your Visit

Last year’s event was extremely popular, so we’d recommend booking your Virtual Dementia Tour slot in advance to avoid disappointment. While you’re with us, take some time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and refreshments at Beetham Nurseries too.

To book your place:

Together, we can help make South Lakes a place where dementia is understood, and where support is always close by.