Sullivan Senior Center To Hold Dementia Friends Program

What is the Dementia Friends program?

Dementia Friends is a global movement developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom and now underway in the United States. The goal is to help everyone in a community understand five key messages about dementia, how it affects people, and how we each can make a difference in the lives of people living with the disease. People with dementia need to be understood and supported in their communities. You can help by becoming a Dementia Friend today.

What is a Dementia Friend?

A Dementia Friend participates in a one-hour Dementia Friends Information Session offered by a Dementia Friends Champion or pair of Champions. A Dementia Friend learns five key messages about dementia and learns a bit about what it's like to live with dementia. Then the Dementia Friend turns their understanding into a practical action that can help someone with dementia living in their community. Their action can be as big or as small as they choose – because every action counts! 

What is an Information Session?

An Information Session is a face-to-face session that lasts approximately one hour (60 minutes) and is run by a Dementia Friends Champion or pair of Champions. It covers the five key messages everyone should know about dementia through activities and discussion.

The five key messages:

• Dementia is not a normal part of aging.

• Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain.

• Dementia is not just about having memory problems.

• It is possible to have a good quality of life with dementia.

• There’s more to the person than the dementia.

Date for the program is November 6 from 10:30 -11:30 a.m. at the Sullivan Senior Center.