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New funding supporting 'dementia friendly communities' has been announced by the by a health trust.

Over the next three years, the Life Changes Trust will invest around £3 million in establishing and supporting a wide variety of initiatives across Scotland.

Dementia friendly communities are places where people affected by dementia are supported from accessing services to using public transport.

They also help empower those whose lives are affected by dementia so that they can remain integrated in society.

Ann Pascoe, a trustee of the Life Changes Trust and whose husband Andrew has dementia, founded a dementia friendly community in East Sutherland.

She said: “Our community - with key support from NHS Highland and many local organisations – has transformed our dementia journey from a lonely, frightening and isolating experience to one that has given Andrew back a purpose in life, which means that, as a carer, I can also enjoy my life."

The number of people with dementia in Scotland is increasing due to the population getting older.

Based on current dementia prevalence rates, the number of people with dementia in Scotland is projected to double by 2038.

It is also estimated dementia costs the country more than cancer, heart disease and stroke put together.