Dementia Friends Initiative Update
Launched in 2012, Dementia Friends is a national initiative run by the Alzheimer’s Society and funded by government bodies; the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health. The aim of the initiative is to give the public a better understanding of dementia and make them aware of the way they can contribute to making a difference to people living with dementia. The way the initiative plans to do this is by creating dementia friendly communities, which are “villages, towns or cities that support people with dementia to live independently for as long as possible and to have choice or control over their lives”.
By 2015 the initiative aims to have a network of 1 million ‘Dementia Friends’; creating dementia friendly communities together. So far, over 3000 people have signed up and became dementia friends, while 522 people are trained dementia friends champions. A dementia friend is someone who takes a friend information session and turns their understanding into a practical action that could help someone with dementia living in their community. This can be anything from fundraising for a dementia related cause to simply spreading the word about the initiative. A dementia friend champion, receives training from the Alzheimer’s Society; allowing them to run information sessions for people in their personal networks or communities, encouraging them to become friends or champions themselves.
The initiative has already been backed by some famous faces, including comedians and actresses Jo Brand, Meera Syal and TV personality Lynda Bellingham. Dementia Friends Meera Syal and Jo Brand speak about the initiative below:
To get involved in the initiative you must live in England as the initiative is currently only being funded in England. Below are a number of useful links, providing further info on the initiative and how you can get involved.