Rand Aid Association social worker Debbie Beech recently held two talks for Elphin Lodge retirement village and Ron Smith Care Centre about Dementia Friends.
“Dementia Friends is an international initiative that was started in the United Kingdom. It is a social action movement that aims to change people’s perceptions about dementia and reduce stigma around this illness,” says Debbie.
“The Dementia Friends session last 45 minutes and has five key messages that educate people about dementia and the ability to live well with this illness. A commitment is then made to take certain actions to create awareness,” she adds.
After the session, which was also attended by some members of the public, people had the opportunity to register as a Dementia Friend on the local and international register.
Introduced in South Africa in 2019 and coordinated by Alzheimer’s SA, there are already 888 Dementia Friends in the country.
