Dementia-friendly walks

Create your own dementia-friendly walk and support people living with dementia to walk, talk, and connect.

Walking is a fantastic way for people living with dementia to stay active, with benefits including reducing the severity of some symptoms and improving overall wellbeing. A new toolkit has been launched to help Norfolk organisations create a walk for people living with dementia to enjoy with their carers.

The Norfolk Easy Ambles toolkit includes a checklist of things to consider such as parking, refreshments and toilet stops, and interesting landmarks to prompt memories and stimulate conversation. There’s also a video explaining the process of creating a dementia-friendly walk.

Active Norfolk project officer Ryan Hughes said: “By mapping your own walk you can help people living with dementia to feel part of their community, and improve their health and wellbeing through having more opportunities to be active.

“It’s also a great way for community groups to increase engagement with local residents.”

You can find the toolkit at www.activenorfolk.org/dementia-walks

Once you’ve made your walk, you can get free online walk leader training at http://www.pushingaheadnorfolk.co.uk/training to gain the knowledge and skills to take people out to enjoy it.

Nine walks around the Norfolk coast and countryside have already been mapped out to launch the Norfolk Easy Ambles series, including walks in Hunstanton.

Leaflets containing maps and detailed descriptions of these walks are available to download from www.activenorfolk.org/dementia-walks and can be picked up at libraries across the county.

The Norfolk Easy Ambles programme has been funded by SAIL, a partnership project between Active Norfolk and Norfolk County Council's Environment Team with support from Public Health. The project aims to stimulate active ageing, longer independent living, and less dependence on traditional health and social care services.