Prestwick to become dementia friendly town
An initiative to help people with dementia live independently is being launched in Prestwick this awareness week.
An initiative to help people with dementia live independently is being launched in Prestwick this awareness week.
'Dementia Friendly Prestwick' will train shopkeepers and their staff to spot the signs of dementia and adjust how they deal with those customers.
It means people who have the disease can go about their business and feel safe in their community.
It is part of dementia awareness week.
Every 3 seconds, someone in the world develops dementia and in Scotland there are over 90,000 people living with the condition. This dementia awareness week we are taking up the challenge to make sure nobody faces dementia alone by encouraging more people to talk and get informed about dementia and take action to help raise vital funds.
Throughout the week communities across Scotland will step up to challenge dementia by staging a variety of fundraising and awareness-raising events including purple parties; tea & blethers; musical memory events and sing-a-longs and Dementia Friends drop-in sessions. Thrill-seeking challengers will also take to the air in a hot air balloon or glide across the Clyde on a zip-slide.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport said:
“I welcome Dementia Awareness Week as the illness remains one of our foremost public health challenges, in Scotland and across the globe.
“The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting changes and improvements in dementia diagnosis rates, services and supports – an example of this is our distinct approach to post-diagnostic support which receives international attention.
“We will publish our third National Dementia Strategy later this year.”
Welcoming the Dementia Awareness Week 2016, Henry Simmons, Chief Executive, Alzheimer Scotland, added:
“We want to see as many as people as possible join us during Scotland’s Dementia Awareness Week to help us challenge dementia together. Our goal is to make sure that nobody faces dementia alone.
“With over 90,000 people in Scotland living with dementia and the number set to double in a generation, we need to take action now to support those living with the illness along with thousands of partners, carers, family members and friends. By talking about dementia we improve our understanding and we break down the stigma.
“By joining together to do something good you can help raise vital funds to support our Dementia Advisor Network and help us open more vital local resource centres. You can also help us provide Dementia Nurses and ensure our vital 24 hour Dementia helpline and services are there to support people today as our researchers work hard to give us hope for tomorrow.”
Everyone can help challenge dementia by visiting www.alzscot/daw2016. If you want to talk about dementia call Alzheimer Scotland’s freephone 24 Helpline on** **0808 808 3000.
Alzheimer Scotland will mark Dementia Awareness Week by staging an international conference on Friday 3 June at the award-winning Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), bringing together speakers from Scotland, the UK and across the world to share their expertise, their research and innovations and their advice. www.alzscot.or/conference16
Share your Dementia Awareness Week support by tweeting Alzheimer Scotland via #DAW2016