This in from the council, in their own words.Ed
The Isle of Wight Council is supporting a new national Dementia Friends campaign which aims to help people develop an understanding of dementia so that they can help people in their communities who are living with the condition.
Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges facing the UK. On the Island it is estimated that around 2,500 people are living with dementia.
Become a Dementia Friend
The campaign, launched by Public Health England and Alzheimer’s Society, is encouraging people on the Isle of Wight to become a Dementia Friend. By watching a short video online or by attending a face-to-face information session, people will be able to increase their understanding of the condition and help those affected by it.
Work is already underway to make the Isle of Wight a Dementia Friendly Island, through a pilot project run by Age UK Isle of Wight, supported by My Life A Full Life (MLAFL). The My Life a Full Life programme is a new way of delivering health and social care services on the Island to improve the lives of people needing care and support and help people families and carers to stay healthy and well.
Raising awareness of dementia
Age UK have been working with Island businesses, organisations and services to raise awareness of the needs of people with dementia. To date dementia awareness training has been delivered to nearly 300 people working for Southern Vectis, the fire and rescue service and the library service.
A ‘Safe journey card’ developed with Southern Vectis for a person with dementia to carry has been launched to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week (18 to 24 May 2014).
Cllr Stubbings: “This work is particularly important”
Councillor Steve Stubbings, executive member for adult social care and community wellbeing, said:
“There is some excellent work being undertaken on the Island to support residents with dementia and to raise awareness about how we can all play a part in supporting these residents. This work is particularly important given the Island’s large elderly population and the more we all understand about the condition, the more we can do to support those living with it.”
1 in 3 over 65 will develop Dementia
Dr Michelle Legg, clinical lead for dementia and older people at the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, commented:
“One in three of us over the age of 65 will develop dementia, which is an incredibly high statistic. But people with dementia can live well, and it is the responsibility of the rest of the community to help them do so.
“It is only by personally understanding the issues that people living with dementia face, can we fully appreciate the challenges they have to overcome on a day-to-day basis. By becoming a Dementia Friend, you are playing crucial role in helping us take one step closer to creating a dementia-friendly society on the Island.”
Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative launched in 2013 to increase understanding and awareness. The new campaign aims to raise awareness and help create a network of one million Dementia Friends across England by 2015. As part of the campaign, adverts are appearing on TV and online.
For further information on the campaign and how to become a Dementia Friend and how you can support dementia friendly communities on the Isle of Wight contact [email protected]
Image: britishredcross under CC BY 2.0
