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.
I became a Dementia Friend 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.
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. As part of the Prime Ministers challenge, Alzheimer’s Society hope to create four million Dementia Friends by 2020. Dementia Friends gives people an understanding of dementia and the small things they can do that can make a difference to people living with dementia.
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.