Alzheimer’s Society Launches Dementia Friends
Today sees the launch of the Alzheimer’s Society’s “Dementia Friends” scheme. Dementia Friends is Alzheimer’s Society’s groundbreaking new initiative which will give more people an understanding of dementia and the small things that could make a difference to people living in their community. From today anyone in England can go online and register to become a Dementia Friend.
Since my involvement with Alzheimer’s Society started, and throughout the time working with Dad to promote awareness and raise money, I’ve noticed something rather startling. Very few people have any significant knowledge about dementia or about how to deal with people with dementia. Bearing in mind 1 in 3 people over 65 and 1 in 2 people over 80 will die with dementia – it’s something that is going to affect us all eventually – whether we get the disease ourselves, or have a grandparent, parent, spouse or partner that is affected.
Combine this startling lack of knowledge with the stigma currently attached to dementia and we have a very naive population that are not ready for the massive increase in numbers of people suffering from the disease – there are already an estimated 800,000 in the UK, rising to around 1.7 million by 2050.
Over the last few months, I’ve had many friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even strangers contact me to ask for advice. Now, I’m not a doctor, or a dementia specialist… and I think this is the key point. I’m just someone with experience of living with and caring for someone with dementia, and how to cope with it. This suggests to me that people prefer talking to someone on a non-professional basis – and this can open the way to getting a diagnosis, help and treatment for the person they are worried about.
But there’s much more to Dementia Friends than this. Knowing how and when to help someone with dementia can be tough – but having dementia friends within the community will mean that there’s always someone around who can help… whether it’s helping someone find the right bus, or making sure local businesses are dementia-aware. Dementia Friends know how to act more sympathetically towards people with dementia in their communities and workplaces, and will undertake to turn that understanding into action to help people with dementia feel included in their communities.
I’m really looking forward to helping promote the initiative and to becoming a Dementia Friends champion myself in due course.
For more information see the Dementia Friends website.
