Figures have shown people from minority backgrounds are less likely to access support services.

Two toolkits been launched to help people from ethnic minorities access dementia support in Aberdeen.

The kits, provided by the Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations (ACVO), provide clear information for both community members and practitioners working with ethnic minorities.

They were put together after a year’s worth of research into widening dementia support for people from European minority backgrounds, and are available in Polish, Spanish and Russian.

Funding for the project came from the Life Changes Trust.

The kits have been launched as figures showed around 90,000 people live with dementia in Scotland.

In Aberdeen, which has the highest proportion of people born outside of the UK of any Scottish city, an increasing number of cases are being recorded in people aged 40-60.

People from ethnic minority backgrounds face can different barriers when it comes to finding dementia support, and the kits seek to raise awareness of the condition within these communities.

Jane Russell, Partnership Manager at ACVO, said “This project grew out of work we had previously done linking the third sector dementia support provision in the city.

“During that time we have realised that people from ethnic minorities are not seen accessing post-diagnostic support and community activities and we were keen to identify the reason why.

“We hope that these toolkits will be the first step in bridging this gap.”

The toolkits are available on the ACVO website.