More details have been announced about how the City of Wolverhampton will be marking Dementia Action Week 2018.
They include over a dozen free events and activities for people living with dementia and their carers – from information and advice sessions to poetry readings and exercise classes.
The highlight of the wide-ranging programme organised by Wolverhampton Dementia Action Alliance is an information and advice morning at the Bob Jones Community Hub on Tuesday 22 May from 10am-12.30pm, at which people can find out more about the services available to people living with dementia in the City of Wolverhampton.
A range of service providers will be present, the City of Wolverhampton Council will be showcasing its Telecare assistive technology equipment and there will also be guidance on benefit entitlements. FBC Manby Bowdler Solicitors will be providing information about Power of Attorneys, and advice will also be available from Wolverhampton’s Carer Support and Memory Matters teams.
People can become Dementia Friends – and better understand issues facing people living with dementia – by attending a free Dementia Friends training session open to all professionals and members of the public at the Grand Theatre on Tuesday 22 May from 2.15pm-3.30pm; alternatively they can visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk.
The Alzheimer's Society will be raising awareness among commuters at Wolverhampton railway station on the same day from 4pm to 5.30pm.
Special Walking for Health walks and exercise classes in the Easyline gym will be taking place at Wednesfield Community Hub, Well Lane, on Thursday 24 May from 10am-3pm, while Memory Matters will be meeting shoppers at Sainsbury's St Marks on the same day from 10am-2pm to raise awareness of memory concerns and share tips about living better with a diagnosis of dementia.
Wolverhampton Police and the City of Wolverhampton Council's Trading Standards team will be raising awareness of scams – and how people can prevent themselves from falling victim to them – at HSBC in Queen Square on Monday 21 May from 11am-2pm and Waitrose, Penn Road, on Friday 25 May from 10.30am-3pm. The Trading Standards Team will also be on hand at Age UK, Darlington Street, on Tuesday 22 May from 1pm-3pm.
Central Library is inviting people to enjoy a Coffee and Chat from 10.30am-2pm on Wednesday (23 May), enabling residents to find out more about the services available to support their mental health and wellbeing while also enjoying light refreshments. Taking part will be a range of providers including Starfish Wolverhampton Social Hub, the council’s Community Support and Carer Support Teams, HeadStart Wolverhampton, Healthy Minds, Healthwatch Wolverhampton and Memory Matters.
Asda Wolverhampton will be raising awareness in store on Monday and Wednesday 21 and 23 May from 10am-noon, while the Black Country Partnership Foundation Trust is holding an information session and activities at Brooklands Health Centre, Brooklands Parade, on Thursday 24 May from 10am-3pm.
St Aiden's Church on Mount Road in Penn is holding two Dementia Action Week events – a Beetle Drive on Friday 25 May from 2pm-4pm and a Posh Afternoon Tea on Saturday 26 May from 2pm-5pm – while the Church of the Epiphany in Oxley is holding a dementia friendly service on Sunday 27 May starting at 10.45am.
Meanwhile, Light House Cinema on Fryer Street is offering carers and the person they care for discounted tickets to see the films Edie and That Good Night between 25 May and 31 May, with tickets priced at just £2.50.
FBC Mandy Bowdler will be hosting a craft morning with Fiddle Finger to create quilts at its offices on George Street, Snow Hill, from 10am-2pm on Thursday 24 May.
BBC WM’s Sunny and Shay will be broadcasting live from the Grand Theatre on Tuesday 22 May from 2pm-4pm, while the Alzheimer’s Society will be joining Gulshan Radio to raise awareness on Friday 25 May from 1.30pm.
A little further ahead, popular poet Mandy Ross will lead a morning of poetry and song, entertaining people living with dementia with gentle humour and activities, at East Park Library on Monday 11 June from 10am-noon. This event is organised by Poetry on Loan, Wolverhampton's library service and the Carer Support Team, and people will also be able to find out more about the Memory Matters service.
Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "Dementia is a debilitating condition which affects nearly a million people in the UK, including 3,600 in the City of 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 lives.
"Dementia Action Week is an important opportunity for people to find out more about the condition and the help and support which is available to them locally.
This year's Dementia Action Week, which is organised by the Alzheimer's Society and takes place from 21-27 May, will encourage everyone to take actions big and small to improve the lives of people affected by dementia. The Alzheimer's Society estimates that one person in the UK develops dementia every three minutes.
People who are worried about dementia can contact the Alzheimer's Society for information and support either via the National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122 or by visiting www.alzheimers.org.uk.
The City of Wolverhampton was officially granted Dementia Friendly Community status by the Alzheimer's Society in December in recognition of the efforts being made to improve services for people living with dementia, and their families and carers.
