Steve Wood (Principal Lecturer) has been commissioned by the Southend-On-Sea Darby and Joan Organisation Limited to undertake research to identify the current prevalence of dementia within the Borough of Southend, to ascertain current levels and costs of service provision and to assess the likely scale of demographic change and its impact in terms of future need and costs. The overall aim of the research is to identify where gaps in provision and funding are likely to emerge in order to inform decisions about diversification of the organisation's activities in response to local need. Across the UK, as in much of Europe and the developed world, demographic trends towards an aging population are likely to be accompanied by a rise in the incidence of dementia.

The Southend on Sea Darby & Joan Organisation was formed as a charity in 1947 by a group of benefactors, including E. Cecil Jones, for the sole purpose of providing care and help to the elderly of Southend and the surrounding district, now including Essex.

The Services currently provided by Darby and Joan Organisation Limited are in Westcliffe-on-Sea:

• Chaltonholme is a residential home which caters for 33 residents
• Sandringham is a residential home caring for 20 residents
• Cecil Jones House is a home which provides single room accommodation for physically able people who prefer not to live alone, but in a community of up to ten people.

The findings of the research will be published later this year.