The Dementia Friends programme is the Alzheimer Society’s initiative to change the way we think, act and talk about dementia. It’s about finding out more about the condition and how we can help people living with dementia feel more understood and included.
The Alzheimer’s Society says “Dementia touches the lives of millions of people across the UK. Dementia Friends was launched to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding that means many people with the condition experience loneliness and social exclusion. We need to create more communities and businesses that are dementia friendly so that people affected by dementia feel understood and included.”
What is dementia?
Dementia is caused by diseases that affect the brain, most commonly Alzheimer’s. Each person with dementia is affected differently, such as:
- memory loss
- the way people speak and do things
- confusion
- difficulty in communicating
- difficulty in planning
- moods
It isn’t just a disease of the elderly, younger people can suffer too, and it often affects, not just the person suffering, but also those around them.
The disease doesn’t always mean that people can’t live well with it, but with more people like Nikki and Petra in the community, who understand what the sufferer, and those around them, is experiencing and how best to help them, we can all help those with dementia live a better life.
Nikki and Petra are proud to wear their Dementia Friends badges, and we are proud to support them and be able to offer a higher level of understanding of the disease within our firm.
Read more about becoming a Dementia Friend.
Find our more about Alzheimer’s.
Find out more about lasting powers of attorney