History Of the Charity

YPWD (Berkshire) was set up in 2012 and our aim was to provide a range of support and ancillary services to younger people with dementia (those diagnosed below the age of 65), and to their families and carers, within the Berkshire West area covering Wokingham, Reading and Newbury.  We sought to provide advice, help and support to enable people affected by young onset dementia to have a fuller life, offer assistance, whether practical, motivational or through a mix of communication, personal meetings and social events, to enable them to better cope with the challenges that faced them.  We have since expanded to provide our services within the whole of Berkshire.

We aimed to work closely with the NHS, local charities and Social Services to plug gaps in the provision that was not funded publicly, for example:

• Education and social evenings for those affected by young onset dementia
• Support groups and activities specifically for carers
• Therapeutic and social projects such as gardening, walking, theatre and heritage outings
• Transport for patients and carers so that they can take part in support programmes
• Support workers with specialist training
• The provision of respite care for those affected by young onset dementia

Initial objectives to widen support for those affected by young onset dementia to:

• Encourage the growth of services for YPWD throughout Berkshire using the Wokingham model as an example
• Provide suitable training in dementia in younger people to Care Home employees
• Raise awareness of dementia in younger people

In looking at where we are now, we have certainly achieved a great deal and in fact have exceeded our expectations in many areas.  Our current provision not only reflects our original aims and objectives, but has also evolved and expanded on its journey.  It is safe to say that we are very proud of what we have achieved and are looking forward to an inspiring future.

We provide below a summary of our activities in 2015/2016 through our Annual Meeting Presentation.

We also provide our financial accounts for year ending 31 May 2016 together with our submitted report to the Charities Commission for the same period.