A KEIGHLEY charity is highlighting the unintended consequences of Covid-19 measures on people living with dementia.

Dementia Friendly Keighley (DFK) said the need to remain physically safe was all-important amidst the pandemic, but this had come at a high price for those with the condition.

Dementia created complex health needs sufferers, who need mental and emotional stimulation as well as regular physical activity to help deal with its effects.

The charity accept that shielding and isolation initiatives saved lives, but warns that living in confinement presented particular challenges for people with dementia.

These include the interruption of well-established daily routines, reduction in social interaction with friends and relatives, and lack of access to vital support services. This has a negative impact on the cognitive function and quality of life of people with dementia and their families,

Helen Charters, DFK’s Information and Support Centre manager, said the charity’ helpline had received many calls from people worried about the impact of lockdown measures on their loved ones.

She said: “People have been calling to tell us how quickly their loved ones are going downhill, losing key skills like their ability to talk or feed themselves. People living with dementia themselves have also expressed their fears over losing basic cognitive and communication skills due to lockdown measures.”

One of those under pressure is Emma Dooks, who cares for her mother Liz, who has dementia.

Liz has felt increasingly isolated since Covid-19 struck: day care has stopped, she has become dependent on daily support from family, and she is unable to visit her husband who lives in a care home.

Emma said social activities and group events were vital to her mother, saying that “in the moment” she enjoyed them very much.

She added: “Mum’s dementia is changing week-by-week and I don’t know if, when things get back to normal, it will still be possible for her to enjoy those things again.”

DFK founder Rod Tickner said dementia was an irreversible progressive disease, with no ‘reverse gear’ or recovery, only a steady loss of function and memory over time.

He said: “There are drugs that can help slow down the rate of development of the disease within the body but they are only truly effective in the early stages. If this early stage is ‘lost’ then any impact such medication might have had is also lost.”

Maggie Marsden, a trustee at DFK, said it was clear from helpline callers that coronavirus was having a significant impact on the lives of families.

She said: “Loss of regular contact with family and friends affects a person’s ability to maintain some understanding of who they are. With memory weakening the resulting confusion may lead to a more rapid deterioration of the dementia as a person struggles to understand what is happening to them.”

Maggie said the need for public safety, particularly at the start of the pandemic, was appreciated, but she added: “It seems as if some of the decisions have led to the unintended consequences.

“The benefits of social contact and regular activities for people living with dementia have not changed since the outbreak of Covid-19, yet the current restrictions are making any social contact almost impossible.”

Dementia Friendly Keighley has continued regular activities using online platforms and social-distancing measures; it runs the helpline; and plans are well advanced to reopen the Information and Support Centre.

Call 07452 773788 any day between 10am and 2pm for advice and information.