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More communities in Flintshire become dementia-friendly

Published: 28/09/2016

A group of local residents and organisations in Mold are working together to make the town more dementia-friendly. The Mold Dementia-Friendly steering group, which includes Mold Town Council, Flintshire County Council, Home Instead, Boots and the Cottage nursing home, has come together to raise awareness, reduce stigma and improve support local people living affected by dementia. The group has written an action plan which includes setting up and supporting local Memory Cafes and holding a number of Dementia Friends awareness sessions in the town centre. The group was awarded ‘working to become dementia-friendly’ status recently by Alzheimer’s Society under the official Dementia Friendly Communities recognition process. As a result, they are now looking for more local businesses, services and organisations to become involved in making Mold more supportive of people living with dementia. To get involved or to find out more information please contact the steering group through their email address dementiafriendlymold@gmail.com or follow on Facebook Dementia Friendly Mold or Twitter @dementia_Mold. A report by the Alzheimer’s Society, ‘Building Dementia Friendly Communities: A priority for everyone’, reveals less than half of people living with dementia feel a part of the community (47%) and nearly three quarters (73%) of UK adults surveyed in a YouGov poll do not think society is geared up to deal with dementia. Many people with dementia reported feeling trapped in their own homes and let down by their communities, with one in three only getting out once a week and one in 10 only manage this once a month. There are 1,969 of people living with dementia in Flintshire and creating a dementia-friendly community will help reduce stigma and make people feel confident, understood and supported to be a valuable part of society. In North Wales, there are five communities who have been awarded ‘working towards dementia friendly’ status. Three of the five communities are in Flintshire. Earlier this year in the same week, Flint and Buckley were formally recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society as dementia friendly communities. They were the first in North Wales to receive such accreditation and joined many cities, towns and villages now exploring what they need to do to better support people with dementia and enable them to live well in the community. Flintshire County Councillor Christine Jones, Cabinet Member for Social Services, said: “Both Flint and Buckley worked hard to achieve recognition from the Alzheimer’s Society and I’m delighted that Mold has now joined them. It is a real testament to the hard working, caring people in our county to have three out of the five towns with this status. The Council will continue to work with other towns to help them achieve a dementia friendly community where people with dementia are understood, respected, supported and confident that they can contribute to the life of the town.” Jacky Baldini, Operations Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society in North Wales, said: “A dementia friendly community is a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected, supported, and confident they can contribute to community life. “It’s great to hear of the positive work happening in Mold. They are setting a high standard that I hope many more will follow across North Wales. We want people from all walks of life and backgrounds to join the Dementia Friendly Communities movement. “Whilst it’s good to see how far we have come, unfortunately there are still too many people with dementia who do not feel supported and part of their local area; they feel trapped in their own home, isolated, lonely and a burden. “It is possible to make small changes that will make their day to day lives much better and help them to stay part of a community for longer. I would urge everyone to find out more on how you and your neighbourhood can become a dementia friendly community.” For more information of Dementia Friendly Communities and the official recognition process please contact Jo Lane, Dementia Friendly Communities Coordinator for North Wales on 01352 700728 or jo.lane@alzheimers.org.uk. From left to right: Jo Lane, Cathy Peach, Sally Barley, Luke Pickering-Jones, Dawn Wynne, John Heycocks, Jean Richards, Jackie Lee (OWL)and Carol Heycocks.