The Duke of Richmond and Gordon has accepted patronage of Dementia Support - a unique West Sussex charity which brings together a comprehensive range of person-centred dementia services under one roof.
Dementia Support has been delivering dementia services from its Centre of Excellence - Sage House in Tangmere - for over six years.
As the only one of its kind in the country, Sage House provides a full range of integrated services for the benefit of thousands of local people who are affected by dementia. Services include advice, guidance, the NHS dementia assessment service, legal advice, activities, respite day care, and wellbeing services.
The Duke of Richmond is Chairman of the nearby Goodwood Group and founder of the widely acclaimed Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival. The Estate also hosts the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
The Goodwood Estate selects a local charity to support for a two-year period and across 2023 and 2024 has been raising funds for Dementia Support’s Sage House. The Duke of Richmond’s new patronage is the latest show of support for improving the lives of people living with dementia. It also comes at a time when Dementia Support is looking to take the Sage House Model nationwide to help many more people who are affected by dementia across the UK.
The move to replicate Sage House is supported by an academic evaluation carried out by the University of Chichester’s Cognitive Ageing and Dementia Laboratory. The report found that the Sage House Model saved £1,722 per person, each year, when compared to the cost of standard care, making it 38% cheaper, in addition to considerably improving levels of wellbeing and quality of life.
With 944,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK, and the number predicted to reach 1.6 million by 2040, the Sage House Model has the potential to save the government billions over the coming years.
In announcing The Duke of Richmond’s patronage of Dementia Support, the charity’s CEO, Sally Tabbner said: “We are delighted that The Duke of Richmond has seen what a vast difference the Sage House Model can make to the lives of people living with dementia and has chosen to become our charity’s patron.
“We really hope that it will help us continue to make giant strides in our endeavour to ensure that everyone in the UK has the support and care they need to live well with dementia."
The Duke of Richmond said, “I am proud to become the new patron of Dementia Support – a fantastic charity whose vital work makes a real impact in the local community. Over the past 18 months, the Estate has supported Sage House by raising funds and organising training sessions and volunteering opportunities for staff. I look forward to championing Dementia Support as they look to implement the Sage House Model across the country.”
To find out more about Dementia Support’s plans for its national programme and the results of the evaluation, visit: nap.dementiasupport.org.uk/evidence-impact.
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