Neighbourhood Team Have Now All Signed Up As Dementia Friends
The Prestatyn & Rhuddlan Safer Neighbourhood Team have now all signed up as ‘Dementia Friends.’
PCSO Laura Bruce recently underwent training to be a ‘Dementia Champion’ in order to deliver the ‘Dementia Friends’ awareness session to her colleagues – to enable them to be more dementia friendly.
A Dementia Friends Champion is a volunteer who encourages others to make a positive difference to people living with dementia in their community. They do this by giving them information about the personal impact of dementia, and what they can do to help.
The Dementia Friends programme, run by the Alzheimer’s Society, is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.
Sgt Mark Jones explained: “A ‘Dementia Friend’ learns a little bit more about what it’s like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action.”
“Anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. The benefit to us as a Safer Neighbourhood Team is that we deal with a number of people who are living with Dementia and by having awareness we can adapt how we respond and make sure we give the most appropriate care and understanding.”
Peter Harrison, chair of the Prestatyn Dementia Friendly Community Steering Group, commented: “As chair of Prestatyn Dementia community it has been fantastic to have the support from Mark and his team from the very start of the initiative, including team members taking up active roles on our steering group. To have all members of his team now as ‘Dementia Friends’ shows great commitment to our local community and will help raise awareness of dementia in our locality.”
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