History of the Charity

YPWD (Berkshire) was established 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
• 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 
• 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 a summary of our activities and achievements in 2019-2020 through our Annual Meeting Presentation: This is us 2019-20

You can also watch this Annual Meeting presentation here