Two sisters from Birmingham will be taking part in the Ultra Challenge, Thames Bridges Trek on 9th September, to raise vital funds for Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity.
Kiran Sahota, 37, a History Consultant, and Aman Sahota, 33, a Software Developer, will be taking on the challenge, inspired by their late grandfather Bhajan Singh who was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017 and died in 2019. The trek, which spans 25km, will begin at Putney Bridge and take participants over 16 historic bridges through the city and a mid-point rest stop near The Oval Cricket Ground, finishing at Tower Bridge.
The money raised will help the charity to provide more dementia specialist Admiral Nurses, to support families facing dementia.
Bhajan Singh was born in India and moved to the UK in the 1960s. He worked as a foundry worker up until his retirement. This South Asian Heritage Month (July 18th – August 17th), Kiran and Aman want to raise awareness of the challenges around access to care for families from a South Asian background following their personal experience.
The number of people from a South Asian background living with dementia is set to increase by 600 per cent within the next three decades, however, families in this community are less likely to access treatment and support when diagnosed.
Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops dementia: a progressive and complex condition that can be devastating for the whole family. It’s a huge and growing health crisis and is the leading cause of death in the UK.
Admiral Nurses are continually supported and developed by Dementia UK, to provide life-changing advice and support to anyone affected by dementia, whenever it’s needed. They work on the free national Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, in face-to-face and virtual clinics, and in the community, in GP practices, hospitals, and care homes.
Kiran said: “I was in my thirties when my grandad was diagnosed with dementia. I was completely overwhelmed and didn’t feel like any of the information available represented my heritage or background. We struggled to find a Nurse who could speak Punjabi to converse with my grandfather.
“In the South Asian community, we don’t tend to talk about dementia. I know many families struggle to ask for help. We are taking part in the Thames Bridges Trek to raise
money for Dementia UK – a charity that provides a lifeline to many families like mine – and to raise awareness of the barriers to care that many families from my community face when accessing dementia care. No family should face dementia alone.”
Aman told Asian Voice, “Many South Asian languages do not have a word for dementia, and derogatory terms are sometimes used instead. This creates stigma around dementia in South Asian communities, with dementia seen as a societal taboo. Being of Indian origin myself, I would struggle to explain it to elders who don’t speak English without it being interpreted as a mental health illness.”
“There needs to be more financial and emotional support for people with dementia and the person caring for them.
"After my grandad was diagnosed with dementia, my sister really struggled to juggle work and her personal life while caring for him. It felt like there was no support available and we were left to manage on our own. There were days when my grandad was 'fine'
and our days would continue as normal. Other days were more stressful when he was confused or not understanding something, we weren’t able to leave him alone to go to work or see friends.
“Let's get conversations about dementia going, let's raise awareness and money so that families with dementia can access the vital support they need.”
Joanna Sullivan, Head of Community Fundraising, Events and Innovation at Dementia UK said: “We are so grateful to Kiran and Aman for taking on this incredible challenge for Dementia UK. One in three people born in the UK this year will develop dementia in their lifetime. Thanks to the hard work of our amazing fundraisers like Kiran and Aman, more families than ever will be able to access the life-changing support offered by our Admiral Nurses.”
Aman and Kiran are hoping to raise £600.
