Wolverhampton will be marking Dementia Awareness Week with events and activities for people with dementia and their carers – from information and advice sessions to a charity football match at Molineux Stadium. The Alzheimer's Society is staging Dementia Awareness Week from Sunday 15 May to Saturday 21 May, 2016.
Wolverhampton's Dementia Action Alliance will be holding a series of events throughout the week and is encouraging people who are worried that they, or someone close to them, may have the condition to find out more about the support available to them.
The programme literally kicks off with a fundraising football match at the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers organised by John Donovan. A team from his Wolverhampton-based firm JJX Logistics will take on a side representing the Royal George pub in Willenhall on the hallowed turf of Molineux Stadium on Sunday 15 May at 3pm, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Society.
People in Wolverhampton will be encouraged to don Denim for Dementia by wearing denim clothing on Wednesday 18 May, and in doing so make a small donation to the city's branch of the Alzheimer's Society.
The City of Wolverhampton Council is hosting a vintage tea dance for people with dementia and their carers in the Mayor's Parlour on Friday 20 May – during which a series of high tech "smart posters" will be officially unveiled. They have been developed by the University of Wolverhampton and are designed to provide information to anyone who scans the posters with their mobile phones.
People are invited to become Dementia Friends by attending short information sessions organised by the Alzheimer's Society outlining how they can help and support people with dementia.
These will be taking place at the University of Wolverhampton on Monday 16 May and Friday 20 May from 10am-11.30am and at Epic Cafe, Lichfield Street on Saturday 21 May from 11am-noon. Alternatively, people can become Dementia Friends by visiting www.dementiafriends.org.uk. Meanwhile, the Alzheimer's Society will also be holding special Dementia Friends sessions for City of Wolverhampton Council staff, many of whom come into contact with service users with dementia on a regular basis, during the week.
The University is hosting a drop-in information and advice session for carers on Wednesday 18 May from 11am-2pm, there will be a coffee morning organised by the Natty Knitters at Lower Bradley Community Centre on the same day from 10am.
The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Trust is hosting fundraising activities, a quiz and information stand from 10am-4pm on Monday 16 May and Wednesday 18 May and from 8.30am-4pm on Friday 20 May, and the Alzheimer's Society has an information session at the Epic Cafe on Lichfield Street on Tuesday 17 May from 12.45pm-2.45pm. Waitrose on Penn Road has an information stand in store on Friday 20 May.
Life Direct, which provides support for people aged 50 and over and their carers, will be hosting a session on mindfulness and art therapy to help people with dementia from 11am-2pm on Wednesday 18 May and a coffee morning and reminiscence session on Friday 20 May from 11am-12.30pm. Both events take place at Life Direct's offices on Victoria Street, Wolverhampton.
Two special Dementia Cafes will be taking place during the week – at Pendeford Medical Centre on Tuesday 17 May from 2pm-4pm and a second at Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies' Molineux Hotel Building on Thursday 19 May from 10.30am-12.30pm. At both events, officers from West Midlands Police will also be giving top tips about crime prevention.
Other events including a trip down memory lane for residents of Meadowcroft Residential Home, a dementia awareness session and information stand at the ExtraCare scheme at Broadway Gardens, Bushbury, training sessions and fundraising events for staff at New Cross Hospital and a workshop for care practitioners being held at Bilston Health Centre. Trading Standards officers will be talking to staff from Lloyds Bank about how best to support vulnerable customers with conditions such as dementia.
Throughout the week Life Direct will be offering one to one advice and information about dementia at its base on Victoria Street, the University of Wolverhampton will be hosting an online quiz about dementia and the City of Wolverhampton Council will have an information stand on the ground floor of the Civic Centre and at Central Library.
Finally, West Midlands Fire Service is holding a charity car wash at Fallings Park Fire Station on Saturday 21 May from 10am-4pm, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Society.
Anthony Ivko, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Service Director for Older People, said: "Dementia is a debilitating condition which affects nearly a million people in the UK, including 3,600 in Wolverhampton. It can be a very difficult subject to talk about, but the sooner people know what they are dealing with, the sooner they can feel in control again and get on with their life.
"I am pleased that the council and members of the Dementia Action Alliance are organising so many events and activities to mark Dementia Awareness Week 2016. It is an important opportunity for people to find out more about the condition, and the help and support which is available to them in Wolverhampton.
"I'd also encourage people to become a Dementia Friend – and in doing so join the 1.5million Dementia Friends nationally who better understand the needs of people living with dementia and are doing their bit to help them."
This year's Dementia Awareness Week will encourage people who are worried about dementia to confront their worries and contact the Alzheimer's Society for information and support either via the National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122 or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information about Alzheimer's Society and Dementia Awareness Week 2016 is available at www.alzheimers.org.uk.
The Wolverhampton Dementia Action Alliance is made up of organisations that operate across the city and are working towards creating dementia friendly communities to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.
