Feature
I’m Deme Frie
What do Torbay Community Development Trust, Torbay Council, several local churches, Age UK, Carers’ Trust Phoenix and the Friends of Paignton Library have in common? One answer is that all these organisations have hosted Dementia Friends Information Sessions. Dementia Friends is an initiative of the Alzheimer’s Society which aims to change the way our Society thinks, talks and acts about dementia. The idea behind Dementia Friends is simple but effective. The Alzheimer’s Society trains Dementia Friends Champions to deliver free information sessions. Champions return to their communities and deliver the sessions in their workplaces, to their friends and family, in schools and colleges,
to all kinds of groups and to the public.
along to sessions, “People backed off when I mentioned dementia. There was a stigma attached. Of Everyone attending a session learns course, this was the very reason five key messages about dementia Dementia Friends was set up.” and is asked to commit to at least Over the past three years dementia one action, large or small, which has been in the news a great deal. can make a positive difference Its prevalence means that everyone to people living with dementia. is likely to come across someone Those willing to commit to such with dementia, so it’s important an action are called Dementia that each one of us knows a little Friends and receive a lapel badge about the condition and gains and information card. The aim is confidence in supporting people to create four million Dementia living with dementia”. Friends by 2020. That will mean that there will be four million Maureen really enjoys running the people across England and Wales, interactive sessions. In addition to each doing their bit to make their the standard session, suitable for communities dementia-friendly. people from the age of 11 upwards, there is a children’s session, which Local Dementia Friends Champion Maureen is looking forward to Maureen Chivers recalls that when taking into primary schools. Dementia Friends was launched in 2013 it was a struggle to get people