Nov 2021
Championing Dementia Friends in Salisbury
Our team at Avon Court is keen to get everyone talking about dementia to raise awareness of what it means and how everyone can make a difference.
Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society-led initiative aiming to increase dementia awareness and change the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about dementia. There are lots of ways to get involved from watching videos online to attending an information session.
The hour-long information sessions are run by Dementia Friends Champions, volunteers specially trained to deliver these free workshops. They will often deliver them to groups of employees at a business with a view to supporting them in creating dementia-friendly businesses and communities.
Mandy MacKenzie of Avonbourne Care Centre is a trained Dementia Friends Champion in Salisbury working with the Avon Court team and residents. Mandy travels to local businesses in the Salisbury area to deliver one-hour information session – free of charge - to help them understand a little bit more about dementia, what it’s like to live with dementia and how to turn that understanding into action.
At the end of the session, each participant is encouraged to commit to an action that will make the lives of people living with dementia a little bit better, and they become a Dementia Friend. Anyone can become a Dementia Friend – there are no age limits – and all actions count, from helping someone find the bus they need to sharing information about dementia on social media.
If you would like to find out more, visit the Dementia Friends website, or if you have any questions about running an information session in your workplace in Salisbury, please contact Mandy on 01722 429400 or m.mackenzie@osjct.co.uk.