Ambitious plans have been unveiled to make communities within the Keighley area dementia friendly.

If successful, the move would allow people with the condition to carry on living active lives and make tasks like shopping, getting the bus and even going for a walk easier.

Estimates suggest there are 6,000 people in the district living with dementia, although only 55 per cent will have been diagnosed. Many are physically able, but do not always have the confidence to carry on with their normal routines and rely on carers.

The Alzheimer’s Society wants to educate businesses, organisations and residents on how to treat those with dementia, so they can remain an active part of their community.

On Thursday, Bradford Council’s Keighley Area Committee will discuss ways the Society can be assisted to make communities more dementia friendly. A similar project started in the Idle and Thackley areas of Bradford in January and in Otley last year, and will be rolled out in all parts of the district in the next two years.

Among suggestions are community events to discuss the issue, awareness sessions at business forums and raising awareness in schools and community groups. There could also be “mystery shopper” style visits by people with dementia, who would then report back on any issues they encounter.

Airedale Hospital has already been praised for its “cutting edge” work to improve how it treats patients with dementia and the hope is the entire area could follow this example.

Professor Murnah Downs, head of the University of Bradford’s Dementia Group, said: “I think it is a terrific idea. A lot of people with dementia feel socially excluded, so a pro-active approach to engage the community can only help.”