Dementia Group creates memories to treasure forever

Members of Colinton Care Home have recorded memories they can treasure forever through a new partnership with Fort Kinnaird.

Ahead of Dementia Awareness Week (4^th to 10^th June), people from Colinton Care Home and their carers, together with staff from Fort Kinnaird, spent an afternoon recording soundbites about their lives.

Each participant had the opportunity to talk about their hobbies, families and experiences living in Edinburgh. At the end of the session, they received a CD of their memories as a keepsake for their family and friends.

Fort Kinnaird is one of ten shopping centres identified by its co-owner British Land to take part in this project in partnership with Bauer Academy – a national training provider which provides innovative, bespoke training programmes delivered by media industry experts.

The partnership forms part of a wider initiative to give the team at Fort Kinnaird the chance to become Dementia Friends. To date, thirty-eight members of staff at Fort Kinnaird have attended Dementia Friends information sessions which aim to provide a greater understanding of the impact of living with dementia.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “Dementia is a condition that affects many people across the community. Here at Fort Kinnaird, we want all our shoppers to have an enjoyable experience, which is why we are committed to supporting the Dementia Friends programme.

“We’re proud that many of our colleagues wear a forget-me-not flower badge which means that they’re equipped with the skills they need to support our shoppers with dementia and make sure that they –  and their carers, family and friends – have an enjoyable experience at our centre.”

Anne McWhinnie, Dementia Friends Programme Manager from Alzheimer Scotland, said: “As we mark Dementia Awareness Week 2018, Alzheimer Scotland is delighted that so many individuals, groups and companies have committed to improving their understanding of the little things we can all do to help people with dementia. We now have 60,000 Dementia Friends across Scotland – a fantastic achievement!”

The Dementia Friends Scotland programme is supported by The ScottishPower Foundation.

Find out about dementia and what’s it’s like to live with the condition by becoming a Dementia Friend at www.dementiafriendsscotland.org.