Community Focus: Dementia Friends

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, acts and talks about the condition.

The word 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life. A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour.

And whilst it’s true that most people with dementia are over 65, it is not exclusively an older person's disease; younger people get dementia too.

Being a Dementia Friend simply means learning more about dementia, putting yourself in the shoes of someone living with the condition, and turning your understanding into action. From visiting someone you know with dementia to being more patient in a shop queue, every action counts.

You can become a Dementia Friend by attending a face-to-face information session or by watching the online video; more information of which is available on their website at www.dementiafriends.co.uk

You can also get in touch via:

0300 222 5855

dementiafriends@alzheimers.org.uk

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 twitter.com/DementiaFriends