22 May 2025
A leading St Albans-based home-care provider says it has seen a 22 per cent rise in the number of its clients receiving a dementia diagnosis in the last five years.
Abbots Care is Hertfordshire County Council’s preferred provider for home-care services, and employs 600 care workers to look after 1,300 clients, providing care services for the elderly, physically disabled or people with learning disabilities.
In 2020, 21 per cent of Abbots Care customers had a dementia diagnosis, but by 2024, this number had risen to 43 per cent, which has led the care provider to play an increasingly bigger role in supporting dementia sufferers and their families.
Abbots Care CEO Camille Leavold was the first recipient of the new Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care award, for her work in the pandemic.
Reflecting on this latest dementia data, Camille said: “We have seen the demand for our home-care services for dementia patients soar over the last five years, and with the Hertfordshire over-65s population forecast to grow from 17.3 per cent to 23.2 per cent by mid-2043, which is reflective of the nationwide trend. NHS figures show that last year, dementia diagnosis rates were the highest since the start of the pandemic at 65 per cent so I believe that demand for dementia support will increase significantly.
“Our home-care team works with families to ensure that loved ones who have dementia get the best home-care support we can provide.
“Our specialist dementia care workers work with families to tailor-make a programme for the member of the family who has dementia to ensure that we meet their needs, including incorporating outdoor activities and exercise. Our care workers also offer support to families to ensure they can carve out some time for themselves. Caring for a loved one with dementia is an immense challenge. At Abbots Care, we have been doing this for nearly 30 years, so we are experienced in knowing what works well in terms of dementia care.
