Dementia Awareness week creates a splash!

Edinburgh’s biggest ever Dementia Awareness week was brought back to earth with a bump with a charity abseil down the Forth Bridge yesterday. It was a dramatic end to a week organised to encourage people to talk about dementia in a bid to dispel myths and to help those who are affected.

A wide range of awareness-raising events were held at a range of venues all across the city last week. These included: Currie Rugby Club at Balerno Gala Day, St James Centre, Drumbrae Hub, Royal Infirmary Hospital, Queensferry Library, Morningside Library, Barnton Pharmacy, Liberton Hospital, Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre’s Living Memories Shop Unit, Cameron Toll Shopping Centre Currie Library CommunityRoom, The Mill at St Joseph’s Balerno and Portobello Farmers Market.

On Monday there was a Café and meeting place with information and advice for people with dementia and their carers from dementia advisors at Cramond Kirk Hall and Barnton & Cramond Dementia Friendly community forum held an information meeting on Tuesday.

Social media was also used to raise awareness. A blog, Let’s talk about Dementia (#AHPDementia), hosted different themes each day, with an opportunity for visitors to post questions to a range of experts including occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and dieticians.

Dementia Week event organisers were also asked to use #dementia6littlethings on Twitter, and by liking and sharing messages posted on Facebook by the Council.

Reflecting on a busy week, a spoksesperson for Alzheimers Scotland said: “Phew! Seven days of celebration, awareness raising, conversation, fundraising and support. Thanks so much to everyone who has been a part of Dementia Awareness Week!

“Your stories, you kindness and enthusiasm have made for a fantastic week. Your passion has helped make Scotland a better place for people with dementia, their families and carers.”

So all in all it was a very successful week, but the work doesn’t stop there. The number of people who have the illness is set to double over the next 20 years, and there’s an ongoing drive to make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city by a partnership of the city of Edinburgh Council, Alzheimer Scotland and NHS Lothian.

The group launched the “6 little things” campaign in February, which tells people how to cure the stigma of dementia by knowing six simple facts.

Speaking before the lauch of dementia awareness week, Councillor Ricky Henderson, Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, said: “The awareness week is the ideal opportunity for us all to get involved in conversations about the illness. While it’s great that we’re living longer, this is leading to increasing numbers of people experiencing dementia. Let’s get conversations going with loved ones about dementia and together we can beat the stigma and also support those who have it.”

The conversations have started – now let’s keep talking!

Step out to support people living with dementia

‘Dementia is a huge, growing health crisis and it isn’t going to go away’ – Anna Devine, Alzheimer Scotland

AS the number of people living with dementia in Scotland continues to rise, Alzheimer Scotland is set to deliver its biggest-ever Memory Walk series in a bid to rally support for people living with dementia in communities across the country.

“There are over 90,000 people living with dementia in Scotland, and tens of thousands of unpaid carers, often partners and family members, supporting them,” said a spokesperson.

Alzheimer Scotland will hold over 25 Memory Walks in Scotland this autumn to raise vital funds to deliver support services and raise awareness of the discrimination, isolation and stigmatisation faced every day by people living with dementia.

There will be walks from Scalloway in Shetland to Hawick in the Borders –starting late August and finishing in early October.

Anna Devine, director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications, said: “Dementia is a huge, growing health crisis and it isn’t going to go away.

“We must rally our caring and compassionate communities across Scotland to be part of our Memory Walks and embrace the message that dementia is everyone’s business.

“It costs Alzheimer Scotland millions every year to deliver vital services across Scotland. To sustain that support as the demand for our services increases, we need to raise more funds and more awareness.”

All funds raised will be used to help pay for vital Alzheimer Scotland dementia services across Scotland such as the 24-hour dementia helpline, dementia advisors, dementia nurses and dementia research.

Funds will also support important local activities, such as Dementia Cafés, support groups, singing and gardening groups.

Alzheimer Scotland’s Memory Walks are family friendly and accessible to all, and will be the charity’s primary outdoor fundraiser in 2015.

Memory Walks are also a significant part of Alzheimer Scotland’s campaign to ensure the voices of those living with and caring for people with dementia are heard.

Walks will include memories-themed and family activities and walkers will have the chance to honour loved ones by writing messages on a Memory Wall.

Registration is £10 for adults, £5 for 12-16 year-olds and free for under-12s. We’re asking participants to raise £100 in sponsorship.

Visit www.MemoryWalksScotland.org to find out more and to register.

http://www.memorywalksscotland.org

Student fashion show raises funds for charity

Edinburgh College students organise fundraising fashion show for people with dementia

Edinburgh College events management students have staged a fashion show featuring people with dementia as models to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland.

Service users, carers, staff and volunteers at the charity’s Fife Dementia Resource Centre in Kirkcaldy strutted the catwalk as models at the event, which was organised by a team of four college students -Sara Penn, Laura Presly, Zoe Fraser and Megan Fairley.

The team raised more than £700 for Alzheimer Scotland with the fashion show, which formed part of their coursework for their BA (Hons) Event Management. The four students named their project team Icon Events and organised the show with the support of their lecturers.

BHS, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins and New Look provided clothes for the fashion show, while a local salon donated handbags and accessories.

Edinburgh College events students have organised 37 events this year, each raising vital funds for a variety of charities.

Team member Sara suggested Alzheimer Scotland as their charity as she regularly volunteers at the Resource Centre alongside her mother and grandmother. Both Sara and Laura’s family members have been affected by the disease, which affects more than 86,000 people in Scotland.

Alzheimer Scotland’s deputy regional manager for Fife and the Forth Valley Anne Buchanan said: “This is a great example of inter-generational working and will help to raise awareness of dementia, as well as raising funds for us so we can continue to provide the range of activities, advice and support for people living with dementia and their friends, families and carers.”

Alzheimer Scotland is the leading dementia organisation in Scotland. The charity campaigns for the rights of people with dementia and their families, and provides an extensive range of innovative and personalised support services. The Fife Dementia Resource Centre provides information and support to carers and service users including drop-in information cafes and day care.

Edinburgh College offers a range of events management courses from introductory level to the BA (Hons) course, the last year of which is delivered by Queen Margaret University. Applications are currently invited for these courses and more than 900 other courses across the curriculum offered by Edinburgh College and starting in August on its four campuses.

See www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for more information on how to apply.

Sign up to help cure the stigma of dementia

‘We need the whole community to get on board and help us make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city’ – Cllr Ricky Henderson

A new awareness campaign has been launched today (Monday 16 February) to highlight the stigma associated with dementia, and the little things we can all do to help.

Devised in conjunction with Edinburgh residents who have dementia and their relatives, the campaign is part of ongoing work by the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian and Alzheimer Scotland to make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city.

Stigma and lack of understanding are major barriers for people with dementia according to 66% of people who responded to a recent Alzheimer’s Society survey. The research also revealed that 35% of people with dementia only go out once a week or less.

The new campaign includes a radio advert featuring people affected by dementia and a poster campaign for bus shelters, shops, pubs, clubs and pharmacies. It aims to tackle the stigma often associated with dementia and encourage people to be more aware of the condition. It also highlights how we can all play our part to make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city.

Six key ways to help a person with dementia and help them to feel included have been summarised as part of the initiative:

Learning more about the facts;
Show patience, for example if someone is having problems with their words;
Include them in conversations;
Being kind and show respect;
Helping them to join in;
Be a friend.

Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, Councillor Ricky Henderson, said: “With the numbers of people with dementia in Edinburgh continuing to rise, it’s important to address some of the myths about dementia which can lead to people feeling excluded from the community.

“There are little things that everyone can do to support and encourage people with dementia so that they feel confident enough to continue with day-to-day activities such as shopping and getting out and about. This may be a friend with dementia or someone that they meet in the course of their job or in their local neighbourhood. We need the whole community to get on board and help us make Edinburgh a dementia friendly city.”

Helen Hay, Regional Manager of Alzheimer Scotland, added: “Many people don’t understand dementia and think that a diagnosis means that a person is immediately incapable of working or carrying on with their daily routine.

“The campaign will help break down some of the barriers people face when they tell others they have dementia. Simple things like being included in the conversation and being asked to take part in social activities like going to the theatre can make a big difference to a person’s quality of life.”

A number of activities will take place in the city throughout the campaign, including dementia awareness sessions with retailers, councillors, Council and NHS staff. Members of the public are also being urged to become more dementia aware by signing up to Alzhiemer Scotland Dementia Friends programme, www.dementiafriendsscotland.org

A ‘dementia friendly’ performance of Plutôt La Vie theatre company’s production ‘Clean Sweep’, co-hosted with the Festival Theatre, is one of the events planned.

It will be attended by people with dementia, their friends and family and is specifically designed to provide an accepting environment and relaxed atmosphere for people with dementia.

Cerin Richardson, Learning and Participation Manager, Festival City Theatres Trust, said: “The Festival and Kings theatres have been developing work for children and young people with additional needs through their Relaxed Theatre programme and are delighted to be expanding their participation work to include people living with dementia and their families, so that they can take full advantage of the performances in our theatres.”

Find out more about the campaign at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/dementiastigma

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