Dementia Action Week: Five ways to get involved in Devon

Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Awareness Week has been renamed as Dementia Action Week.

It takes place from 21-27 May 2018 and Alzheimer’s Society is calling on everyone in Devon to unite today and plan actions, big or small, to make a huge difference to people affected by dementia.

There are estimated to be more than 13,800 people living with dementia in Devon and too many face the condition alone without adequate support. Here are top five ways you can get involved in 2018:

1. Become a Dementia Friend

Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative allows people to learn a little bit more about what it's like to live with dementia and then turn that understanding into action. Across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly there are already more than 47,000 Dementia Friends. To get involved you can either find your nearest Dementia Friends Information Session – a fun, interactive session that covers five key messages through activities and discussion – or watch an online video. The growing dementia movement has already seen two million people become Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friends in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To find your nearest session, visit dementiafriends.org.uk   

2. Spread the news

This year’s Dementia Action Week theme is community change and we want to see a big impact in Devon. People with dementia and carers have shared actions with us that will make a difference, from ‘invite me out. Friends still mean the world to me’ to ‘take time to listen. I can still teach you a thing or two.’ Unite against dementia and help people affected to feel included in their community and able to live the life they want. Get your family, friends or work colleagues to sign up and be the first to hear more about Dementia Action Week, unite now at alzheimers.org.uk/DementiaActionWeek

3. Arrange a quiz event

Sign up, team up and compete to unite against dementia with our all-new, action-packed mega-quiz. With someone developing dementia every three minutes, it’s the biggest health and social care challenge we face right now. This is your chance to help us outsmart it, using the mighty power of the quiz to raise funds – and have a lot of fun. Sign up today for your free Challenge Dementia Quiz pack at alzheimers.org.uk/challengedementia. You can also contact your local Community Fundraising Officer by emailing communityevents@alzheimers.org.uk.

4. Join dementia research

In the UK, one person develops dementia every three minutes and almost everyone knows someone whose life has been affected. There hasn’t been a new drug for dementia in 15 years. But since 2013, the number of clinical trials for Alzheimer’s drugs has doubled. Alzheimer’s Society will continue to drive forward research for effective treatments for dementia and – ultimately – a cure. Unite against dementia and sign up to take part in research, visit alzheimers.org.uk/joindementiaresearch

5. Get involved on social media

Whether you are planning your own fundraising event, attending a Dementia Friends Information Session or have a unique action to help make a difference, Alzheimer’s Society wants to hear about it. Share what you are planning on social media by using #DAW2018. You can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ your local Alzheimer’s Society pages:

Facebook: Alzheimer’s Society South West
Twitter: @AlzSocSWEngland