Free workshops forDementia Friends

A care home in St Leonards is appealing for local residents to consider becoming a Dementia Friend and is offering a series of workshops to give people a better understanding of a condition that currently affects 850,000 in the UK.
Call the newsdesk on 01424 854242Call the newsdesk on 01424 854242
Call the newsdesk on 01424 854242

Anchor’s Bethune Court care home, Boscobel Road will be holding a series of free hour long information sessions starting next Tuesday (February 21) at 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

Hilde Sheldon, an Anchor dementia friends advisor based at Bethune Court, will be on hand to explain how person-centred care and one-on-one activities can enable people with the condition to still get the most out of life. “We want to give people in our community a better understanding of dementia,” she said.

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“We will look at the myths surrounding dementia and how to support someone who is living with the condition.

The number of people living with dementia is growing and Hilde says Anchor is leading the way by training its staff so they can help older people live well with the condition.

“We want to provide information to the local community because many people are understandably worried about dementia.

“Anchor has contributed to the Government’s national dementia strategy and we think it’s important to share our knowledge and experience with people living in St Leonards on sea.”

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Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative. The society describes the programme as their biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia and states:

‘Dementia touches the lives of millions of people across the UK. Dementia Friends was launched to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding that means many people with the condition experience loneliness and social exclusion.

‘We need to create more communities and businesses that are dementia friendly so that people affected by dementia feel understood and included.

‘There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. This will soar to 2 million by 2051. 225,000 will develop dementia this year, that’s one every three minutes. 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have dementia.’

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Bethune Court Home manager Vickie Willard says there will be a warm, friendly welcome with no pressure at next week’s workshops. “Join us for just an hour on Tuesday and find out more about Dementia and how to become a Dementia Friend - all are welcome and light refreshments will be available.”

Spaces for the dementia workshops are limited. Anyone interested is asked to book a place by calling Vickie on 0800 0854234 or email [email protected].