More than 100 types of dementia exist, which affect the brain in many different ways, but people living with any of them will be welcomed by the Messenger’s Charity of the Year for 2017.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services (ADSS) is an independent charity that first opened its doors 25 years ago and has been steadily expanding ever since.

And with big plans on the table for a community cafe, an adult sensory room and more, this year looks set to be a very exciting one for ADSS’s 53 staff, 65 volunteers, supporters and clients.

Chief executive Liz Jewell said the charity’s services, covering Gravesham, Dartford, Swanley and surrounding areas, are open to anyone experiencing the symptoms of dementia, as well as their families and carers.

She said: “People with no experience of dementia think of the worst-case scenario, of someone who can no longer cope, but a lot of people in the early stages can function very well.

“There are more than 100 types of dementia, of which the most common is Alzheimer’s. It’s basically a disease of the brain but the different types have slightly different symptoms.

"People with no experience of dementia think of the worst-case scenario but a lot of people in the early stages can function very well," - CEO Liz Jewell

“Alzheimer’s is usually a slow decline, whereas with vascular dementia it’s almost like the person is having small strokes and after each episode they lose some of their ability.

“Other types affect the front of the brain and the person’s inhibitions are affected, and with some the person hallucinates.”

Life expectancy varies depending on the type of dementia, but younger people tend to deteriorate more quickly because their brain cells are still renewing, she explained.

ADSS has just taken over a former Age UK building in Coldharbour Road, Northfleet, and hopes to raise funds to buy it from Kent County Council so it can expand.

The Safeharbour Memory Wellbeing Centre, as it has been named, will be home to a community cafe in the next couple of months, where clients and families will be able to socialise with other members of the community, who will be able to see the good work that is going on.

Health organisations, solicitors, charities and other groups will rent spaces in the building for meetings with clients and their families, and “everyday services” such as hairdressers, opticians and hearing aid clinics, will be invited to hold pop-up sessions so clients can see them in a relaxed setting or family members can attend an appointment knowing their loved one is being looked after in the next room.

Ms Jewell hopes to build a sensory room where less mobile clients in the later stages of the disease can relax, be stimulated by lights, music and tactile objects and even have a bath.

A sensory garden with fragrant plants is also being considered.

The charity already offers a host of services including a 24-hour helpline, support groups and learning groups for carers, support in the home, singing sessions, and memory cafes in six locations where people living with dementia and their families and carers can socialise with people going through similar experiences.

See www.alz-dem.org to find out more about the charity and how to get involved.