A funeral home in Levenshulme is supporting its community by becoming Dementia Friends, in a bid to encourage others in the area to make a positive difference to people living with dementia.
The initiative ran by the Alzheimer’s Society, starts with a one hour information session that prepares the new Dementia Friends to help them understand what it’s like to live with dementia and the actions they can take in their communities.
Peter Sadler-Eastwood, Funeral Director at Charles Robb Funeralcare in Levenshulme, said: “There are hundreds of people living with dementia in the area. It became apparent to me that we, as a team with a big presence on the high street, wanted to be equipped to support those living with the condition as best we could. When I discovered the Alzheimer’s Society’s initiative I thought it was a great thing for us to do and we signed up straight away.
”As a new Dementia Friends champion, the next action is to upskill the staff to become Dementia Friends and then spread the word through the local community to family, friends and other businesses. Hopefully, through this scheme we can help people living with dementia to be better understood and treated with more patience in their everyday lives. It’s something everyone should try to do.”
Becoming a Dementia Friend is easy to do, starting with a short information session with follow-up support if needed from the Alzheimer’s society creating dementia friendly communities together. For more information visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk
