I was delighted to be joined last weekend by residents from across my constituency who signed up to become a ‘Dementia Friend’. The Information Session held at my local Constituency Office, is part of the Alzheimer’s Society campaign to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding around the condition.
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition. The charity wants there to be four million Dementia Friends with the know-how to help people with dementia feel understood and included in their community.
With many of us having personal experience of family or friends affected by dementia, I was so pleased to see people showing their support by coming along to the Session and becoming a Dementia Friend. We need to create more communities and businesses that are dementia friendly so that people affected by dementia feel understood and included.
Anyone interested in supporting the campaign should go to www.dementiafriends.org.uk