Stonebridge Supports Dementia Awareness Week
Dementia is a serious condition of the brain, but doesn´t have to be debilitating or cause a person to lose their self-respect. Carers and relations of people with dementia can support them by learning about the disorder, and understanding how to make life as normal as possible for dementia sufferers.
Dementia statistics
.jpg) |
Dementia is on the increase andit is estimated that by 2025 there will be 1 million people in the UK with the condition. Source: Alzheimer’s Society
|
What is Dementia Awareness Week about?
The week of 17-23 May 2015 is devoted to raising awareness of dementia, eliminating the myths and getting more people involved in caring for and supporting people with dementia. The event is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society, who wish to promote the fact that dementia is not a disease, but a condition.
Events are taking place all over the UK to publicise dementia, and inform how having dementia doesn´t have to be a life-altering situation.
Learn more about dementia
Dementia is a disorder that affects the brain and sometimes precedes the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. There are several causes and many people may not know they are developing dementia for several years.
.jpg) |
Symptoms include:
|
Dementia Awareness Week wants to promote that dementia is more than just memory loss. It affects people’s ability to speak, how they see the work, recollection of events, perception of loved ones, social behaviour and way of thinking.
Understanding how dementia affects the brain can help carers and family members give the best possible care.
At Stonebridge we offer a Dementia Awareness Course that is both suitable for professional carers and family members who wish to learn more about the condition.
The course is only 7 lessons and each covers a different aspect of dementia. Completion of the course leads to 2 certificates:
- Certificate 1 – Dementia Awareness Certificate
- Certificate 2 – Level 2 Dementia Awareness Certificate of Achievement
You can find out more about this course on this link:
There are 670,000 dementia carers in the UK (Source: Alzheimer’s Society www.alzheimers.org.uk), some professionals and others family members. Understanding more about the condition can help give sufferers the support they need to lead as normal a life as possible.
How can I get involved in Dementia Awareness Week?
The Alzheimers website has plenty of ideas of how you can lend your support to Dementia Awareness Week and it needn´t take much of your time.
.jpg) |
You could:
|
The Alzheimer’s Society is also promoting the event by encouraging people to ‘Do Something New’. Why not do something you´ve never done before but always wanted to do, whilst raising a little money or even just telling people why you’re doing it? Your small contribution to the event could make a major difference to someone with dementia.
You could also post some of the amazing stories from the Alzheimer’s Society’s website, about the achievements of dementia sufferers who have also done something new and unique in their lives. Spreading the word costs nothing.
Dementia Awareness online course
If you wish to learn more about dementia take a look at the Stonebridge Dementia Awareness Course on the above link to find out more. The course is online and can be studied in your own time, you don´t have to visit a classroom on a regular day each week, we understand that studying needs to be flexible.
You can also visit the Alzheimer’s website to find out more about Dementia Awareness Week at:
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200450 This page will tell you all about the events taking place all over the UK and tell you how you can take part.
Has dementia touched your life in some way?
“My dementia hasn’t just affected me – it’s affected my friends and family too”
– Gerry Anderson
What else can be done to support those affected by this devastating scourge?
Leave a Reply