Two sisters are hoping to complete a 25km trek to support families facing dementia.
Kiran Sahota, 37, a History Consultant, and Aman Sahota, 33, a Software Developer, will be taking on the Ultra Challenge after being 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.
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 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 percent within the next three decades, however, families are still less likely to access treatment and support when diagnosed.
Admiral Nurses 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.”
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.”
You can support Aman and Kiran by CLICKING HERE
Find out how to fundraise for Dementia UK HERE
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