NPICC raise Dementia awareness

By Jenny Fisher

The Newbury Park Islamic Cultural Centre held a Dementia Friends Information session to highlight the effects on dementia on people’s lives and how people living with dementia can be supported to live well.

The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme 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. Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways one can help. From telling friends about the Dementia Friends programme to visiting someone living with dementia, every action counts.

By the end of the Dementia Friends session all attendees had become Dementia Friends and were presented with pin badges. The well attended session was run by Dementia Friends Champion and volunteer Emdad Rahman. who said: “It is possible to live well with dementia, and these information sessions are a brilliant way to raise awareness in communities. I really enjoy the interaction with attendees and the passion shown to help people living with dementia.”

Abdul Hannan attended the event. He said: “Our community will benefit from this workshop and we may do an even bigger session with more people in the future. The info session is bright, interactive, and easy to understand. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on making a cup of tea and how complex a task that we do without thinking can be for someone living with dementia. Our session was an eye-opener. We now know that it is possible to live well and we are committed to ensuring our establishment is a dementia-friendly venue.”

Mohammed Muhith is a Dementia Support Worker. He said: “We have had a very interactive session today. With support and understanding it is possible for a person with dementia to live and enjoy a normal life.”

•For further information on the programme please go to:
www.dementiafriends.org.uk

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