Dementia NI is a unique member-led charity, formed in 2015 by five individuals with a diagnosis of dementia. A local organisation dedicated to empowering people with a diagnosis to live well, and drive positive change in dementia services and policy.
It was the vision, drive, skills and knowledge of those five founding members that helped to shape the organisation we are today.
The founding members shared a core belief that people with dementia should have an active involvement in decisions that affect their own lives and retain their independence for as long as possible.
They also wanted to raise awareness of what dementia is, and challenge the stigma they face on a daily basis.
When the first Empowerment Group was established, in which people with dementia provided peer support to one another, they realised there were many others out there who needed the same support.
In its founding year, Dementia NI secured funding from Atlantic Philanthropies to help develop a small number of self-directed peer support Empowerment Groups, and to employ a staff team to support them for three years.
During the following three years, a number of groups were established across Northern Ireland. These provided an opportunity for people to come together in their own communities and share their experiences, skills, have their voices heard, and provide peer support to one another. The pilot was hugely successful and helped to lay strong foundations for the organisation we have today.
In 2017, the charity invested in development strategies to ensure the foundations were secure, while enabling the staff team to continue to grow with the support of the members, volunteers, and Board of Trustees.
In 2019, the charity was successful in securing funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to continue the Empower and Support project. In the Same Boat, a new telephone support line for, and by, people living with dementia, was introduced at the same time.
Since then, Dementia NI has grown into a dynamic organisation with more than 100 members, providing valuable peer support across Northern
Ireland through our Empowerment Groups. We also campaign for changes to current policy which leads to improvements in services for people living with dementia.
As we grow, we remain committed to our vision - a society where everyone with dementia is empowered to live well and feels valued and included.