Introduction

This chapter focuses on dementia in British Muslim communities of South Asian heritage. It touches on faith, immigration, the social construct of dementia and dementia care, awareness of dementia, access to services and intercultural care. Whilst there is a lot that can be said on the subject of dementia and dementia care in British Muslim families, this chapter provides a broad overview of several aspects that impact how these communities are faced with both facilitators and barriers enabling or restricting appropriate support. In this chapter, British Muslim experiences of dementia are mainly grounded on my experience working with South Asian families through Meri Yaadain CiC, a community interest company working to raise awareness of dementia and support for these families.

‘Dementia’ is an umbrella term used to label many cognitive impairments. It can result in various functional challenges such as memory loss, communication difficulties, trouble with time and spatial recognition, and many symptoms and behaviours (Quinn et al. 2008). The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems defines dementia as a syndrome occurring as a result of underlying brain diseases (WHO 1993). It adds that dementia is progressive, affecting various aspects of cognition, function and emotion (Sandilyan and Dening 2015).

Given that there is no name for dementia in the five main South Asian languages, the South Asian Muslim community in the UK does not have a translatable word for dementia. Over the next few decades, dementia in Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities is expected to increase approximately seven to eightfold in the UK, from the current figures of around 15,000–25,000 BME individuals (Department of Health 2009; All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia 2013; Botsford and Harrison Dening 2015). In contrast, it is only expected to increase around twofold for the indigenous White British population, with around 800,000–850,000 people currently affected (APPG 2013). However, whilst Alzheimer’s disease is one of the better-known forms of dementia, other types such as vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia may be lesser known. Vascular dementia, for instance, is more common in South Asian and African Caribbean communities as it is related to high blood pressure and stroke (APPG 2013).