On April 20th, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (The ASI) will host a Dementia Friendly Community Information evening in the Castle Hotel, Macroom, County Cork. People with dementia are among the most marginalised, socially excluded and highly stigmatised. To address the exclusion of people living with dementia, a new initiative has emerged on the landscape in the form of Dementia Friendly Communities.
The evening will encourage businesses and services in Macroom to create a more nurturing and accepting environment for people living with Dementia and their families in the town. The evening will feature speakers such as The ASI Head of Operations, Siobhan O’Connor, The ASI Operations Project Manager, Donal Murphy, The ASI Dementia Adviser for West Cork, Vanessa Bradbury, and Chair of the Irish Dementia Working Group (IDWG) Kevin Quaid. The ASI will also inform attendees about the Initiative and a Toolkit for creating a Dementia Inclusive Community.
The Dementia Friendly Communities Toolkit contains various vital resources that will support organisations, businesses and communities to be more informed and enabled to support people with dementia and their loved ones to stay living well. It contains a guide that provides a practical framework based on The ASI’s experiences in helping communities become more dementia friendly.
An estimated 7,509 people are living with dementia in Cork, and 63% of people with dementia live in the community in Ireland.
Speaking ahead of the evening, the Head of Operations at The ASI, Siobhan O’Connor, said: “Our Dementia Friendly Community Information Evening is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on dementia and raise greater awareness about its impact. We must overcome the stigma around the condition so that people with dementia feel heard, understood and valued and can live well in their communities. By listening, we understand so much more.”
Vice-Chair of the Irish Dementia Working Group, Kevin Quaid, said: “As a person with Dementia when I saw a sign in a shop door in a town that marked it as a dementia-inclusive community. It made me feel welcome to enter. It makes an awful difference to people living with dementia to know that a business is inclusive of them. I would like to see every village and town in Ireland become dementia-inclusive. Before you go into any business, you know the people inside know about dementia and can accommodate those living with the condition. Chances are it will start the conversation and remove some of the stigma. This initiative has been a dream of mine for six years. I can’t wait for Macroom to become a dementia-inclusive town; it’s such a treat to have it so near home.”
People can learn more about The ASI’s Dementia Inclusive Community initiative at http://ow.ly/PMXC50NIepE.
