Moray SNP News

MSP SIGNS UP TO SCOTTISH DEMENTIA FRIEND SCHEME

Moray's MSP, Richard Lochhead, met with Alzheimer Scotland this week to sign up to their dementia friend programme, which aims to transform the way people think, act and talk about dementia, and gives people an understanding of the small things they can do to help people with the condition.

There are over 1700 people in Moray living with dementia, and with an increasing ageing population the number is expected to continue to rise.  Mr Lochhead is encouraging people and local organisations to sign up to the Dementia Friend programme to ensure there is awareness of the condition in our communities, and to provide people with more understanding about the steps we can take to make life a little bit easier for those who live with dementia.

Mr Lochhead and his staff became accredited Dementia Friends during a meeting with Wendy Menzies, a Dementia Advisor for Alzheimer Scotland in Moray.

Speaking after the session, Richard Lochhead said:

"The session with Wendy was incredibly eye opening in terms of the realities of living with dementia.  I think what is so incredibly important is that we understand that everyone living with the condition will be affected differently and that we should always look past the label of having dementia, and see the person behind the condition.

"With over 1700 people living in Moray with the condition it is absolutely right that we should all be thinking about how we can help make our communities more dementia friendly.  Small things can make a big difference, like speaking slowly and clearly to give the person time to understand you, or remembering that if the person says something that doesn't make sense to you, you should avoid making them feel embarrassed or silly.

"It's vital that we all do what we can to make sure that people living with dementia remain part of their community and that's why I would encourage people and local organisations to sign up to the Dementia Friend scheme, so they can learn a little about what it's like to live with dementia and can turn that understanding into action."