Dementia Friends is 'this country's biggest ever project to change the way the nation thinks, talks and acts when it comes to dementia'

Dementia Friends digital marketing manager, Nathan Jelf-Mannion has been outlining the charity’s aims and ambitions behind the campaign which has inspired 152,994 people and counting, to become Dementia Friends.

The Dementia Friends initiative was created in February 2013 after a survey commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Society discovered less than half of people felt they had a good knowledge of what Alzheimer’s was.

Dementia Friends was created to change this statistic for the better and aims to have one million people registered by 2015.

Mr Jelf-Mannion said: “If every Dementia Friend helps just one person with dementia then they make a difference to someone’s life. We want a million Dementia Friends by 2015. One million Dementia Friends can make a difference to one million people, or more.

“As the brain gradually shuts down, people with dementia sometimes need a helping hand to go about their daily lives and feel included in their local community. This is what Dementia Friends wants to provide.

“We would hope that whoever is in power continues to make dementia a priority. It is a major health condition, costing the economy more than cancer and heart disease combined.

“It is also widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed, often mistakenly perceived as a natural part of growing old.

“While there have been improvements in awareness, an increased commitment to investing in research and a commitment to improve levels of diagnosis, these are only a starting point and there are still many things that are needed to provide high quality, effective care and support for people with dementia.”

Whole society response

The Alzheimer’s Society believe people can live well with dementia and are informing Dementia Friends on ways to enable more people to live well despite their illness.

Mr Jelf-Mannion said: “Dementia not only affects the person living with the condition. It has a huge impact on their immediate circle and also wider society. It will take a whole society response to enable people with the condition to live well. We know from our 2013 report looking at dementia and loneliness that a third of people with dementia report to have lost friends after diagnosis and over two thirds have stopped doing things they used to because of a lack of confidence.

“Developed by Alzheimer’s Society, the rationale for this idea came from the voices and experiences of people living with and affected by the condition.”

People can pledge to become a Dementia Friend by attending a face to face information session in their area, or by watching an online video containing crucial information on the illness. Every Dementia Friend receives a Dementia Friend badge and the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Little book of Friendship’ which contains tips and ideas to further inform people on the positive impact they can have on their community by being a Dementia Friend.

“Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative is this country’s biggest ever project to change the way the nation thinks, talks and acts when it comes to dementia. It is aimed at making people with dementia feel part of their community by increasing public understanding and awareness,” Mr Jelf-Mannion said.

Every action counts

People who have become Dementia Friends have been committing to actions to help those with dementia around them.

“Whether people attend a face to face session or watch the online video, Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and turning that understanding into action. From telling friends about the Dementia Friends programme to getting in touch and staying in touch with someone you know living with dementia, every action counts,” Mr Jelf-Massion said.

“A Dementia Friend is someone who has a better understanding of dementia, will know how to act more sympathetically towards people with dementia in their communities and workplaces, and has undertaken to turn that understanding into action to help people with dementia feel included in their communities.

“While we are all beginning to talk more about dementia, it’s clear that society is still not fully supportive of people with the condition, either in the workplace or in everyday life.”

Actions already carried out by Dementia Friends include encouraging friends and family to become Dementia Friends, pledging to visit friends living with dementia more regularly and committing to being patient and understanding with people who have dementia.

Moving forward

The campaign aims to have gained one million dementia friends by 2015, and is continuing to grow its resources to provide more information and guidance for people in the community.

The charity has created a training video for businesses so “customer facing staff can learn a little bit more about dementia”. Mr Jelf-Mannion said future plans include getting the video more widely used as part of staff training and induction processes.

Being a Dementia Friend

One Dementia Friend shared their personal experience, encouraging others to get involved and championing Alzheimer’s Society’s work to improve life for people with dementia.

James Brocklebank said: “I think it is important to know more about dementia and how it affects people because I know people living with the condition including my grandmother. By increasing understanding, Dementia Friends will help people with dementia (and everyone else affected) to live a happy life and feel part of their community.

“I would encourage everyone to become a Dementia Friend like I have, to understand a bit more about dementia and the ways we all can help. The great thing about Dementia Friends is that anyone can get involved and make a difference.”

To become a Dementia Friend visit: https://dementiafriends.org.uk/Home