In the last few years, many of our staff have trained as Dementia Friends. We’re proud to be the only UK probate research firm that trains our staff to support this Alzheimer’s Society initiative.
As our job for the most part is to trace next of kin, we often meet many older people who are the beneficiaries of an estate, and we want our staff to feel confident that they can identify those who might be suffering or vulnerable. If there are legal processes to be carried out or papers to be signed, this is especially important, and if we have any doubts over a beneficiary’s mental capacity, we ask friends, family or appointed representatives for their advice.
As Dementia Friends, our role is to find out all that we can about the condition and what it is like to live with, spread awareness of it and take part in voluntary activities or fundraising if we are able to do so.
The facts are stark. According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, at present there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and 52 percent of the British public knows someone living with dementia. Because of its gradual nature – early-stage symptoms are mild – and the low diagnosis rate, it is difficult to accurately calculate how many people are living with the condition.
One in three people in the UK born this year will develop dementia. The current cost of dementia in the UK is £26 billion, with the bulk of this provided by informal care (i.e. relatives and friends) at £11.6 billion (44.2 percent).
In a survey on public attitudes to dementia, 22 percent of people agreed with the statement that they would find it hard to talk to someone who has dementia, while 62 percent disagreed, and 15 percent were unsure.
Among young people (15-24-year-olds), 27 percent incorrectly agreed that dementia was an inevitable part of getting older compared to 19 percent of 55-64-year-olds.
Danny Curran, our CEO and founder says:
“As age plays the biggest part in our chances of developing dementia, the older we get, the more likely we are to be diagnosed with it. In the meantime, many of us have parents or grandparents who have developed the condition already.
“This, coupled with the nature of our work that brings us into contact with so many people who have dementia, makes me determined that Finders International plays it part in developing spaces and communities that are dementia-friendly.”
Finders International trace missing beneficiaries to estates, properties and assets. To see a full list of our services, please visit our website. Alternatively, you can contact us via telephone +44(0) 20 7490 4935 or email contact@findersinternational.co.uk
This article was submitted to be published by Finders International as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.
