Last year Otley was awarded the status of a Dementia Friendly Community and as part of this year’s national Dementia Awareness Week there will be opportunities in the town to find out a little bit more about dementia.
The focus of this year’s Dementia Awareness Week is ‘Don’t bottle it up’ highlighting that talking about worries and problems can be helpful.
With this in mind, there will be a drop in session at Otley library, Nelson Street on Wednesday, May 21. Anyone is welcome to call in between 5.15pm and 6.45pm and have a chat about any aspect of dementia or collect some information about local support services.
If someone is worried about their memory, wants to know what activities there are locally or is in need of any further support there will be help and guidance available.
The recent Dementia Friends TV campaign aims to increases public awareness and understanding. It also encourages people to take action in their local area to support people with dementia and those who look after them.
The success of Dementia Friends relies upon people learning a little bit more about what it is like to live with dementia and what they can all do in their local communities to help.
From helping someone find the right bus to volunteering or fundraising – every action can help towards reducing stigma and making a town more dementia friendly. On Thursday, May 22 there will be two Dementia Friends sessions. These will take place at 10.30am and 2pm at Otley Core Centre, Unit 11, Orchard Gate, Otley. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Each session will last about an hour and provide information about dementia and how to support others in the community. There will be opportunity for discussion and questions following the sessions.
There is no need to pre book but for further information about any of the sessions, the Dementia Friends campaign or to find out more about local support services, please contact Fiona Porteous on (0113) 231 1727 or e-mail fiona.porteous@alzheimers.org.uk. Further information about the Dementia Friends campaign can be found at dementiafriends.org.uk, also on the Alzheimer’s Society website at alzheimers.org.uk.
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