Futures Forum: Sidmouth: Dementia-friendly town... or 'God's waiting room'...
a significant posting was made from Torbay this week:
DEMENTIA – HISTORY IS MADEPosted November 18, 2013 by Norrms
SATURDAY HISTORY WAS MADE !!
SATURDAY NOV 16th 2013 WE MADE A DIFFERENCE !!
SATURDAY THE WORLD BECAME A BETTER PLACE !!
SATURDAY We Dragged Dementia KICKING and Screaming out of the 18th / 19th / 20th century, into the 21st century and laid it bare for all to see it for it really is!! A Disease of the brain and NOT SOMETHING TO BE LAUGHED AT !!!!!!!!!
Last Saturday, 50 Dementia awareness Ambassadors came from all over the world, by Planes, Trains and Automobiles as well as Skype to make the world a better place for those with dementia, their Carers, and their loves ones to live in, WHY ? because 50 ordinary, hard working people decided to come to Torbay UK and become the First ever GLOBAL Dementia awareness Ambassadors. These wonderful people, who are just like you and me, came together for one reason and one reason only. To meet, to share ideas and to become friends so that each and every one of them can go back to their countries, towns, cities villages etc and create a dementia friendly communities where people who have been touched in any way by this awful disease can live a better quality of life.
We have carers, family members, solicitors, health workers and of course people living with Dementia. People from all walks of life who came together on this special day to make friends, create bonds that will never be broken and to drag DEMENTIA kicking and screaming out of the shadows and into the 21st century!! This year of 2013 has been one incredible year!! No doubt about that!! Just wait and see what 2014 BRINGS!!!!
As someone myself who is living with this disease i stood in AWE as i watched history being made, i stood, staring in amazement as people arrived from all over the globe just to come to this wonderful inauguration, and i stood watching with absolute admiration as friendships were made and a will and determination was shown to take things forward from this day, from this wonderful wonderful day!!
Norrms Mc Namara (diagnosed with dementia 6 years ago and still fighting it!!)
P.S MORE Purple Angel Ambassadors will be recruited in the new year, please contact hello@ostrichcare.couk or if you just want to make a difference in your town or city and receive FREE posters and window stickers explaining what to do, please just e mail the same address. If you want to e mail myself for a guide to creating Dementia friendly communities please e mail norrms@gmail.com
Home | Torbay Dementia Action Alliance
Meanwhile, the Prime
Minister has set a Dementia Challenge to make all Communities Dementia-
Friendly. Next Month the UK is hosting a Special G8 Summit in London to focus on
the global crisis of Dementia: "This is a special disease, affecting so many
people, with no cure in sight and does require special
consideration."
Dementia-friendly communities
The dementia friendly communities programme focuses on improving the inclusion and quality of life of people with dementia. Alzheimer's Society's five year strategy includes a key ambition to work with people affected by dementia and key partners to define and develop dementia friendly communities. We want to create dementia friendly communities across the country.
In these communities: people will be aware of and understand more about dementia;people with dementia and their carers will be encouraged to seek help and support; and people with dementia will feel included in their community, be more independent and have more choice and control over their lives. The Prime Minister's challenge on dementia also includes an ambition to create communities that are working to help people live well with dementia.
- For more information about the programme please contact Karishma Chandaria, Dementia Friendly Communities Programme Manager via emaildementiafriendlycommunities@alzheimers.org.uk
What are dementia friendly communities?
It is envisaged that a dementia friendly community is one that shows a high level ofpublic awareness and understanding so that people with dementia and their carers are encouraged to seek help and are supported by their community. Such communities are more inclusive of people with dementia, and improve their ability to remain independentand have choice and control over their lives.
Many villages, towns and cities are already taking steps towards becoming or have an ambition to become dementia friendly. However, it is acknowledged that realising dementia friendly communities will take a number of years. The dementia friendly communities programme was launched at our Dementia 2012 conference. Through the programme, we aim to give public recognition and support to villages, towns, cities and national organisations who are taking steps towards being more inclusive of people with dementia.
The Society is working on building evidence to inform the future of the dementia friendly community programme. Whether from places already taking action or from communities seeking more information, we want to hear from villages, towns, cities and national organisations across the country.
The Prime Minister's challenge on dementia
In March 2012, the Prime Minister launched his challenge on dementia with a series of commitments to action. Creating dementia friendly communities is one of the commitments in the challenge. A champion group on dementia friendly communities meets regularly to work out how to develop dementia friendly communities. Key commitments as part of the challenge are:
- By 2015, up to 20 cities, towns and villages will have signed up to become dementia friendly.
- Support from leading businesses for the PM's challenge on dementia.
- An awareness-raising campaign.
- The Dementia-friendly Communities Programme working in partnership with theDementia Action Alliance will develop evidence on what a dementia-friendly community is.
Dementia-friendly communities - Alzheimer's Society
UK to host G8 dementia summit - Press releases - GOV.UK
The UK is to host the first G8 dementia summit to lead international action on tackling the condition.
The UK is making the fight against dementia global by hosting the first G8 summit dedicated to seeking an ambitious level of international coordination and an effective response to tackling the condition.
Prime Minister David Cameron and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will use the UK’s 2013 presidency of the G8 to lead coordinated global action against what is fast becoming one of the greatest pressures on families, carers and health systems around the world.
In the UK alone, there are likely to be nearly a million people with the condition by the end of 2020. The government has already begun a national programme of action through the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia, launched in 2011.
G8 dementia summit
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