Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan are committed to developing Dementia Supportive Communities, and working in partnership with local residents, businesses and professionals to become Dementia Friends.
The focus of Dementia Supportive Communities is to raise awareness within the community, to reduce stigma and to ensure people with dementia are confident that services will be respectful of their needs. In turn we hope that this will reduce the barriers of fear, lack of confidence and mobility issues that people with dementia may face.
Our three year Dementia Plan includes the aim to strengthen communities by working with people affected by dementia, as well as key partners to define and develop dementia supportive communities.
Two pilot sites have been identified one in Cardiff West and one in the Barry area. The pilots involve a number of public, private and third sector organisations working together with the Alzheimer’s Society, to develop training and awareness sessions.
Dementia Friends Training will be offered to local organisations, and identified local residents who are likely to come into contact with people with dementia on a regular basis. The pilots will run for a year after which the initiative will be rolled out, in stages, to the rest of the Cardiff and Vale area.
Dementia Friends is about understanding a bit more about dementia and the small things you can do to help people with the condition. A person’s experience of dementia can be affected by the people around them and the environment they live in, so every action counts, from helping someone find the right bus to using social media to spread the word about dementia.
People with dementia want to carry on going about their daily lives and feeling included in their local community, but they sometimes need a helping hand to do so. Dementia Friends isn’t about creating experts, it’s about helping people understand a little bit more about what it’s like to live with the condition and then turn that understanding into action. Find your nearest Dementia Friends session here.