Today 90,000 people in Scotland are living with dementia, and that figure is set to rise. Receiving a diagnosis of dementia can be a devastating and frightening time both for the person with dementia and for their families and friends. Sadly, many people with dementia tell us that friends and even family drift away after their diagnosis. People can find it difficult to know how to react when they hear the news that a friend has dementia. This Dementia Awareness Week, let’s help people understand why friendship and kindness are more important than ever when you have dementia.
Allied health professionals will be supporting Dementia Awareness Week to make sure nobody faces dementia alone. We will be blogging all week, sharing messages on how we CAN help, we are getting involved in local events, ready to answer any of your questions and you will also find us the Alzheimer Scotland presenting national conference on 2nd June, sharing our work in both policy and practice. Follow #AHPDementia #OTHBMR or #ConnectingPeople to find out what we are doing and where we are?
Maybe use this blog to ask us a question if you are worried about falls, good foot care, eating well and keeping active? Perhaps you have questions about communication, looking for tips on how to boost your memory or develop a musical profile?
We have Allied Health Professionals who could answer your questions on these topics or direct you to resources.
You can also find out how to contact some of the allied health professional by downloading our allied health professional leaflet http://www.alzscot.org/assets/0002/1191/AHP_Leaflet.pdf. Join us in sharing information on what we CAN all do to support friends, family and people in our communities who are living with dementia.
Other useful information
For local events you can click here http://daw.dementiascotland.org/events where you can discover all the events taking places across the country during Dementia Awareness Week 2017 and beyond! Simply zoom in to a location near you to find out what’s on!
Dementia can bring many challenges, both for the person with the diagnosis and for those close to them. If you have any questions about dementia or need to talk to someone, the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Helpline provides information and emotional support to people with dementia, their families, friends and professionals. It’s a Freephone number and our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call on 0808 808 3000 or email helpline@alzscot.org
This blog was first published on ‘Let’s Talk About Dementia’ Click on logo below to visit the site.
AHPs across health and social care. 