2.  Know the facts  Examine our attitudes  Face our fears  Come together

3.  A new Alzheimer’s Society initiative  Create Dementia Friendly Communities by recruiting 1 million Dementia Friends by March 2015  A Dementia Friend needs to know 5 key facts  And make a commitment as to how they can turn that understanding into action  No action is too small

5.  You forget people’s names more easily?  Words won’t come as easily?  Getting to the top of the stairs and thinking ‘what did I come up here for?’  Your brain generally does not seem quite as ‘whizzy’ as it used to be?  If so, DON’T WORRY – THIS IS NORMAL!

7.  Not just forgetting names and details but whole events or conversations  Memories do not come back even with prompting  Getting lost in familiar, rather than new, places  Finding it difficult to keep up with events and becoming disorientated  Frequently repeating conversations  Signs of progression in terms of frequency and severity of problems

8.  If you are not happy with the response of your GP please get in touch with Healthwatch  New organisation to help people find the health and social care services they need and make their voices heard

10.  Depression  Delirium  Vitamin B deficiency  Hypothyroidism

11. Age 60 - 69 1 in 50 Age 70 - 79 1 in 20 Age 80 - 89 1 in 5 Dr Elizabeth Milwain: elizabeth@brainscapes.co.uk

13.  Core features:  Memory – new learning  Thinking – drawing everything together  Planning and decision-making  Specific difficulties:  Language  Knowledge – old learning  Spatial awareness  Visual perception

15. 15

16. Cortex Limbic system Brain stem Vital functions Automatic behaviours Understanding me Understanding of the wider world

17. The world beyond what I can see (memory) The world I can see (vision) My body (feeling)

18. ‘Normal life’ Information Thinking Goals Complex Remembered Fast ‘Life in the moment’ Emotion Sensing Experiences Simple Enjoyed Slow 18

20. Isolated Worthless Failing

21.  To feel safe  To feel they have control  To feel valued  Personhood  I-Thou versus I-It

22. Looks? Independence?

23. Standard Effect of dementia Therapeutic relationship

24. Person Carer Others

25. GriefHurt Guilt Tired 25 ‘Normal life’ ‘Life in the moment’

26.  Affected families often do not welcome offers of help – stigma and denial are big problems  Most of us experience disabling emotions in the face of dementia:  Fear  Distaste  Grief  Guilt

27. “Aaahh!” “Aaahh”? Or “Eeww”?

28.  Understand more about it  Change your own attitude – learn to stand against the difficult emotions  Challenge (but with sensitivity please) the attitudes of others  Get alongside someone you know who is affected:  be willing to try  be willing to feel uncomfortable  be willing to get it wrong  Volunteer in your local community:  Support groups  Befriending of couples in which one has dementia

29.  Look at the books on the table  Gaynor Hammond’s books are especially good  Resource lists, details of helpful organisations and other useful guides are available on the Diocese of Bradford website – or get in touch with Jacqui Hand if you would like hard copies  Please fill out the interest form if you would like me to keep you informed of events and developments

30.  If you want to be counted as a Dementia Friend please put your hand up now  When I get the badges I will provide a supply to Jacqui Hand – if you would like a badge please put your name and contact details on the sign up sheet on the resources table  If you are on the internet visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk to sign up as a Dementia Friend and register your action (helpful for the Alzheimer’s Society if you do this) www.dementiafriends.org.uk