Alzheimer’s Society launches Dementia Friends information sessions
From today, people across England will be able to sign up for sessions to become a Dementia Friend.
Just over 12,000 people have already registered their interest in becoming Dementia Friends. Now those people and many more will be able to attend information sessions to find out more about what it’s like to live with dementia and then turn that understanding into action in their local community.
Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative that aims to give a million people a better understanding of dementia by 2015. People becoming Dementia Friends will attend free sessions, which are being rolled out across England.
To learn more about what it means to become a Dementia Friend, watch the Alzheimer’s Society’s video:
As well as encouraging people to sign up as Dementia Friends, Alzheimer’s Society is also calling on people to volunteer to be a Dementia Friends Champion. These are volunteers who talk to people about being a Dementia Friend in their communities. They will attend a training course, receive ongoing support and be part of a growing network of people creating dementia friendly communities together.
There are already 60 Dementia Friends sessions and 30 Dementia Friends Champion sessions lined up across England over the next 3 months, with more due to be announced soon. To sign up and find your nearest session, visit the Dementia Friends site.
Dementia Friends is jointly funded by the Department of Health and the Office of Civil Society, and Alzheimer’s Society will be working with a number of partners to deliver the programme across England.
Find out more about the PM’s Dementia Challenge.