An Important Day: Standing Up for Fairer Dementia Care
Dementia is one of the most urgent health and care challenges facing our society today. Yet not everyone is able to get the care they need, and that experience can look very different depending on where you live, your background, or how far your condition has progressed.
It is exactly this that brought our very own Tony O’Flaherty, owner of Home Instead Wandsworth, Lambeth & Dulwich, to the Houses of Parliament, attending a special event hosted by Jim Dickson, MP for Dartford. The event brought together leaders in care, research and policy as part of the EMPOWER Dementia Network+, a UK-wide initiative dedicated to tackling the inequalities that too often leave vulnerable people living with dementia without the care and support they need.
What is the EMPOWER Network?
Led by Professor Catherine Evans, Director of the Cicely Saunders Institute and Professor of Palliative Care at King’s College London, the EMPOWER Network+ is a movement for academic and community-led change. It brings together people living with dementia, family carers, community organisations, clinicians and academics to co-produce real solutions from the ground up.
Home Instead Wandsworth is proud to be one of EMPOWER’s community partners, alongside a growing network of organisations across the UK who share the same belief — that everyone, regardless of their background or their postcode, deserves the chance to live a meaningful life with dementia.
The Network’s work has already grown from community workshops and policy labs through to parliamentary influence, a significant and important step forward on that journey.
Tackling the Care Gap
During the session at the Houses of Parliament, the EMPOWER Network highlighted a sobering truth: while dementia does not discriminate, access to care often does. There remains a clear care gap that the network is determined to close:
- Ethnic Inequalities: People from Black and South Asian communities often face higher risks of developing dementia but are far less likely to receive an early diagnosis or access culturally appropriate support.
- Geographic Barriers: For those living in rural areas, geography itself becomes a barrier with limited local services, meaning that getting help can feel like an uphill battle every single day.
- The Power of Diagnosis: Jim Dickson MP spoke about what a timely diagnosis means for families and what happens when that diagnosis comes too late or not at all. It can be the difference between coping and crisis, and it is a challenge the EMPOWER Network is determined to tackle head-on.
Voices from the Community
Our very own Kemi Brown, Dementia Outreach Coordinator at Home Instead Wandsworth, was also there to represent the team, sharing how dementia-friendly cafes are creating safe, welcoming spaces where people living with dementia can connect, participate and feel part of their community.
Through the discussions, participants began exploring new ideas and research proposals, from using digital tools to community home visits, all focused on reaching the families and communities who need support the most.
Our Commitment to Better Care
Tony O’Flaherty has been part of the EMPOWER Dementia Network+ since its early days, bringing with him over 14 years of experience supporting people living with dementia across Wandsworth, Lambeth and Dulwich. As Chairman of the Local Dementia Community Research Network, Tony helps bridge the gap between frontline care and academic research in a way that few others can.
For Tony, being part of this work means bringing the perspective of frontline care into wider conversations about dementia support. The experiences of the families that Tony and the Home Instead Wandsworth, Lambeth & Dulwich team have supported over the years continue to shape this commitment to ensuring that the next generation of families living with dementia receive better, fairer and more compassionate care. Being part of conversations at this level also helps ensure that care at home continues to reflect the very best standards the sector can offer.
Get Involved
A special recognition to Jim Dickson, MP for Dartford, for hosting and championing this cause in Parliament, and to Professor Catherine Evans and the entire EMPOWER team at King’s College London for their dedication and compassion in driving this agenda forward.
We will be sharing more about the EMPOWER Network’s work in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, you can find out more about empower dementia. We also invite you to learn more about our commitment to inclusive, compassionate care on our NHS listing.