Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people's perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition. As a local community business All About Home Care has been helping create more Dementia Friends in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.
Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people's perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition.As a local community business All About Home Care has been helping create more Dementia Friends in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.
Kieron Brennan, a Director of All About Home Care and a volunteer Dementia Friends champion, ran a Dementia Friends session at The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks. The first to be held at the Stag, it was attended by volunteers and the wider community.
Andrew Eyre, General Manager, of the Stag who attended the session said: 'The Stag Theatre is at the heart of the community and so we were delighted to help Sevenoaks become more dementia friendly." What was striking about the lovely people who came to the session at the Stag was the genuine interest and desire to help people with dementia.
It was not unlike the story of Penny Garner, a Cotswold housewife whose mother Dorothy had dementia. After spending several years volunteering and working with older people in a community hospital in Oxfordshire she developed the SPECAL (Specialised Early Care for Alzheimer's) method for caring for people with dementia.
In Tonbridge, Kieron ran a session for staff of Specsavers to become Dementia Friends. The session supported their aim to help people living with dementia receive the best possible service. It was also part of more extensive staff training in dementia awareness. The Specsavers team were particularly interested in exploring the visual perception changes that can occur with dementia.
Kieron Brennan with some of the Specsavers team – Michelle Milton, Katrina Shannon, Zeenat Kazmi, Joy Croucher, Angus Hathorn
The quality of care and support that is available to help people live well with dementia has improved considerably over recent years. Our own approach draws upon best practices in dementia care from the Alzheimer's Society, leading University dementia centres and methods such as SPECAL. It steps inside the world of the person with dementia, reaches them once again and enhances their well being and enjoyment of life.
Seeing our local organisations embrace the Dementia Friends initiative is fantastic. If you would like to know more or get involved visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To find out more or to discuss your care needs or those of someone you love in the
Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks areas
call 01732 447 055 or 01892 575 499