Dementia Friends

For part of my self directed assignment and a much bigger project I have got involved with Dementia Friends and Alzheimers Society in helping to raise awareness for the charity and those in need. In 2012 David Cameron launched a scheme with these charities to give the public free training in helping those with Dementia and also to pass on awareness to others. Over 700,000 people are affected in the Uk and Cameron has said that dementia is a national crisis and the awareness of it is shockingly low. It is the goal that by 2015 the government would like 1 million people to become a Dementia Friend, this 2.4 billion charity is one of few to be funded by the Social Fund and Department of Health. It does not ask for donations only to raise awareness. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20236034

Camilla Alfred teaching them how to present well with various techniques

Phillipa works for Age Uk Cornwall and wants to raise awareness in her community
as she feels the public doesn't understand the complexities of Dementia

I have started to document the events that Dementia Friends hold, this includes Dementia Awareness Training, Fire Safety and Memory Cafes. I want to show the journey that the public goes on to become a Dementia Friend and also document those with the illness as well. This event was a general training session where carers and company staff came along to learn what they need to do to raise awareness. Camilla Alfred a volunteer was leading the session and she has worked with the charity since it started. 
There were a variety of people at this event including managers of local company Farm Foods as they wanted to train their drivers in being Dementia Friendly as some of their clients have the illness. The others were nurses and carers at various elderly care homes and they all found the session helpful in what they needed. Camilla taught them initially about what is Dementia and many techniques in how to show others what it is and how to pass along the awareness to their local churches and companies. 

The class have to make a list of  all the stages of making a cup of tea which is
an exercise in seeing what you'd do if you had Dementia. 

They played Dementia Friends Bingo, which was to show which words the public
associate with Dementia like 'memory' and 'disease' 

Hayley is a care assistant at Porthwagan Home in Liskaerd,
she hopes to raise awareness in her village and at work

Lorraine works for Farm Foods as a product promoter and she hopes to
raise awareness to her drivers as some of their clients have Dementia