Dementia Friends target smashed!

Julie Eastham celebrating the Dementia Friends campaign exceeding its 500 friends target. Left to right, Melissa Stack, David Crowther, Julie Pilkington, Julie Eastham, Alan Porter, Tariq Sharf.

OLDHAM is several steps closer to becoming Dementia Friendly after the borough overwhelmingly supported a campaign to help those living with the disease — achieving the target five times over.

The Chronicle joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Society, Oldham Council and Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to promote the Dementia Friends campaign, which aims to improve everyone’s understanding of dementia and encourage people to take action to support those with the condition.

On September 21, World Alzheimer’s Day, a local target was set by the Oldham Dementia Action Alliance to achieve 500 Dementia Friends in the borough by Christmas.

However, figures show that in just three months the target has been smashed with a staggering 2,592 signed up as a Dementia Friend.

A total of 1,370 residents, councillors and local employees took part 45-minute sessions across Oldham to learn a bit about dementia while 1,222 local residents have become a Dementia Friend online by watching a video and registering their details.

Staff at the Chronicle also took part in a session in September and published a series of stories throughout the campaign focusing on Dementia and the Dementia Friends initiative.

Councillor Jenny Harrison, Cabinet member for social care and public health, said: “The communities within Oldham never cease to amaze me when it means getting behind people who need support or are in need.

“To reach this incredible amount of Dementia Friends, all united in helping people live well with this extremely common, yet sometimes misunderstood condition, is an amazing achievement in just three months.

“Having lots of Dementia Friends in Oldham will help people with dementia to carry on with activities and feel included in the community.

“I want to thank everyone who has backed this campaign and we must ensure that we continue to work together to make Oldham a more dementia friendly place to live.”

The Oldham Dementia Action Alliance is made up of organisations across Oldham, working together to radically improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.

Anyone who would like to get involved should attend a meeting at Ellen House, Waddington Street, Oldham, on Monday, January 5, 2015, from 10.30am to noon.

For more information contact either Julie Eastham on 0161-622 6525 or email julieeastham@nhs.net

If you are interested in becoming a Dementia Friend, Dementia Friend champion and delivering dementia friends session in Oldham, contact Sue Neilson at Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group at sue.neilson@nhs.net or call 0161-622 6637.

Register to be a Dementia Friend online by visiting www.dementiafriends.org.uk.
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