Community Champions column: Become a Friend to dementia sufferers

by Jess Horn – community development officer at South Holland District Council

A question I am asked regularly is “what does the South Holland community development team do?”
In coming months I will use this column to answer that question, and tell you about the wide range of opportunities open for local people to contribute to strengthening their communities.

So let me start by telling you about an issue which affects many families and where we are working with local residents and a national charity to make a difference.
Did you know that 77 per cent of people living with dementia feel anxious or depressed with more than 67 per cent not always feeling a part of their community?
Dementia Friends is a social action movement set up by The Alzheimer’s Society with the aim of increasing awareness of dementia and encouraging people to get involved and make a positive difference by giving people living with dementia opportunities to live well in their community.

We are working with The Alzheimer’s Society to bring Dementia Friends Champions training to South Holland.
The free Dementia Friends Champions training session is being held at the South Holland Centre on June 10 at 10am.
The training equips volunteers with the skills and resources they need to deliver Dementia Friends information sessions and help build a community network of dementia friends which will help make the difference to people in your community.

To find out more about the training and how to become a Dementia Friend in South Holland please contact the community development team on 01775 761161, or email community@sholland.gov.uk.
You can also go to the Dementia Friends website: www.dementiafriends.org.uk/.