I am pleased to be supporting this year’s Dementia Action Week.
Two-thirds of people with dementia live in the community but less than half say that they feel part of their community. People with dementia sometimes need a helping hand to go about their daily lives and feel included.
Some years ago I became a Dementia Friend and then a Dementia Champion because of personal experiences of family and friends affected by dementia. We have also hosted a Dementia Friends training session in my office in Aldridge. If you would be interested in attending a future Dementia Friends training, please do not hesitate to contact wendy.morton.mp@parliament.uk
The Dementia Friends programme is led by the Alzheimer’s Society and is a national social action movement to change the way people think, speak and act about dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition.
Alzheimer’s Society’s research shows that many people are worried about ‘saying the wrong thing’ to people living with dementia. And despite almost all of us knowing someone affected, two-thirds of people living with dementia report feeling isolated and lonely.
That’s why this Dementia Action Week, we are being encouraged to take action by starting a conversation with someone we know who is living with dementia; whether it’s calling a relative with dementia or visiting a neighbour, it’s time for all of us to start talking.
I hope this Dementia Action Week you will consider becoming a Dementia Friend. This is a week for turning understanding into action, to help all those affected by dementia. Big or small actions can improve the everyday lives of people affected by dementia and that is where the Dementia Friends programme can help.