I doubt there was a dry eye in the house of those who watched Channel 4’s groundbreaking three part series Dementiaville. Seeing the struggle between families desperately trying to bring loved ones back to the present day and the patient desperately trying to make sense of the here and now was heartbreaking, yet at the same time I was filled with admiration for the staff at Poppy Lodge who tried so hard to build a relationship with the residents by living in “their world.”

Poppy Lodge clearly put their patients first and despite the method used being considered to be controversial, the residents appeared to be very happy and settled. It was like a light had gone on when residents recounted tales of the past and were given the opportunity to do so.

It was wonderful to see the staff treating each client as an individual and putting their needs first, an ethos which is important to Ridley & Hall.

It is estimated that 225,000 people will develop dementia this year, that’s one person every three minutes. Here at Ridley & Hall we are committed to being dementia friendly. Over three quarters of the staff have become Dementia Friends and our Managing Partner, Adam Fletcher, and Helen Webster, a member of our Wills & Probate team, are Dementia Champions.

It is staggering the amount of people who believe that once a person is diagnosed with dementia that it automatically prevents them from making a Will or lasting power of attorney. This is not the case. Under the terms of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 an individual’s mental capacity is to be assessed, not their condition.

For anybody who has been diagnosed with dementia it is important that they get their affairs in order by making a Will and lasting powers of attorney in relation to both financial matters and health and welfare so that they can rest easy in the knowledge that the people they trust will be able to make decisions on their behalf if they are not able.

We are committed at Ridley & Hall to putting the clients first. We are able to offer home visits as we find that often clients with dementia feel more relaxed in their own surroundings.

Victoria Maude joined Ridley & Hall in 2015 having previously been a partner at a well established West Yorkshire practice where she also trained. She is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and is also a member of the Private Client Section of the Law Society.