An information session is being held in Wilmslow this month to help members of the public understand what it might be like to live with dementia and enable them to turn that understanding into action.
Qualified counsellor Helena Hodgson, who volunteered to be a Dementia Friends Champion, is looking for up to 30 members of the public to sign up to attend a Dementia Friends information session.
The one-hour session will take place in Saint John's Church Hall, Knutsford Road on Monday 19th January, starting at 2pm.
The session is part of Alzheimer's Society Dementia Friends programme, an initiative which was launched in February 2013. The Alzheimer's Society is aiming to have one million Dementia Friends by 2015, to help make England more dementia friendly and improve the lives of the 670,000 people currently living with the condition.
Helena said "I signed up to be a Dementia Friends Champion because working as a volunteer counsellor for Macmillan Cancer and also working as a library assistant in Wilmslow I've often experienced the needs of people living with dementia. I wanted to gain more knowledge in order to equip me with the skills I need to ensure I deliver the best service possible.
"Becoming a dementia friend helped me to understand the impact that the symptoms of dementia can have on everyone involved and that we can also make some changes which help the person with dementia to live as full a life as possible. It also helped to dispel some of the misapprehension I'd previously had around dementia.
"It's easy to get involved. I signed up through the website and attended a one day training course on how to deliver the sessions. I'm so proud to be part of a growing network of people helping to create dementia friendly communities across England."
Rebecca Hill, Dementia Friends Regional Support Officer at Alzheimer's Society said "Less than half of us think we know enough about dementia. Dementia Friends is the perfect opportunity to be able to invite everyone up and down the country to improve their knowledge.
"Dementia Friends isn't about creating experts, it's about helping people understand a little bit more about what it's like to live with the condition and then turn that understanding into action - anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend."
If you are interested in attending the Dementia Friends information session on Monday 19th January email Helena Hodgson or call her on 07514 711932.
For further information visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk
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I've signed-up & become 'a friend'
Great work