How volunteers in Hartlepool are shaping support for those with dementia

The number of people who have pledged support to the Alzheimer’s Society by becoming Dementia Friends has topped 4,000.

This quiet revolution in the town reflects what has been happening on a national scale, as 2017 was also the year the UK achieved two million Dementia Friends.

Joe Kirwin, Dementia Friends regional officer for Alzheimer’s Society, explains more: “The initiative is the biggest ever social action movement aimed at changing perceptions of dementia and in Hartlepool we have an impressive 4,194 people on board.

“A Dementia Friend learns a little bit more about what it’s like to live with the condition and then turns that understanding into action.

“One of our information sessions takes about an hour to complete. People either attend a session run by a Dementia Friends Champion – someone who has undergone additional training – or they log on to our website and watch a video.

“It’s incredibly easy and is open to people of all ages. After the session they are asked to commit to an action – but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming.

“They could, for example, stay in touch with someone they know who is living with dementia, or volunteer for an organisation that helps people with the condition, even if it’s just for a couple of hours a week.”

Joe added: “The response to the Dementia Friends initiative in Hartlepool has been tremendous. As well as surpassing the 4,000 milestone, we have created 37 Dementia Friends Champions and there are 11 primary schools, three secondary schools and one college in the town involved in Dementia Friends activities.

In November, Dementia Friendly Hartlepool, which campaigns to encourage businesses and organisations to get involved in the initiative, achieved national recognition when it was shortlisted in the Alzheimer’s Society’s annual Dementia Friendly Awards ceremony in London.

Since it was launched two years ago the group has gone from strength to strength, enlisting support from major organisations including Hartlepool United Football Club.

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, with an estimated 1,207 of them in Hartlepool.

People can find out more about Dementia Friends online here.