Stroud care home opens doors to ‘dementia friends’ for Dementia Awareness Week

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May 13, 2015

People in Stroud are invited to find out more about what it takes to become a ‘dementia friend’ when the team at Scarlet House care home hosts a free information session on Thursday 21 May from 11am to 12.30pm to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week (18-24 May).

An initiative from the Alzheimer’s Society, ‘dementia friends’ is the biggest ever programme to change perceptions and promote better understanding of dementia.

Jim McLeod, customer relations manager, is a ‘dementia friends’ champion.  He will be leading an information session at the care home to help local people find out more about what it is like to live with dementia. He will also discuss how best to turn knowledge and understanding into action, to help create a more dementia friendly community in Stroud.

Jim McLeod, said: “I am very passionate about the role ‘dementia friends’ play in society.  Changing the way people view dementia as a condition is at the very heart of the initiative and Dementia Awareness Week gives us the perfect opportunity to bring members of the public together here at Scarlet House and to have an open discussion about what it means to be living with dementia.

“With 850,000 people in the UK having some form of dementia, it is incredibly important that it is talked about, and that attitudes and perceptions are supportive of those living with the condition, as well as their loved ones and carers.  We look forward to opening our doors to what promises to be an insightful and inspiring event for the local community.”

Those who attend the event will also be able to pick up their copy of Care UK’s Good to Go. The free guide highlights how important it is for those living with dementia – and their carers – to get out and about, and the emotional and physical benefits of staying active.