Member Article

Cramlington unites to make town dementia friendly

Many of us worry about saying the wrong thing to someone with dementia, yet a friendly face or listening ear can make the world of difference. That’s why representatives of businesses and organisations in Cramlington have formed a dementia friendly working group with the aim of improving the lives of residents in the town who are living with the condition.

To mark Dementia Action Week on Thursday 23rd May, Manor Walks are encouraging residents of Cramlington to act by starting a conversation within the community and giving visitors to the shopping centre a chance to have their say on how to make Cramlington a dementia friendly town. A Thought Wall will be displayed within the centre for visitors to write down their thoughts and suggestions that will then be used to create an action plan within the group.

There will also be volunteers from Home Instead, Northumberland Carers, Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia Matters with information to support shoppers who are affected by the condition as well as giving everyone the opportunity to learn more about what it is like to live with dementia.

Dementia Champions will also be hosting drop in Dementia Friends information sessions in the centre so you can learn more about dementia and how to help support your loved ones and your local community. The training is free to attend and will last 45 minutes in the Centre Management Suite with all attendees receiving a badge to show they have partaken in the informative session.

Bruno Coppola, General Manager at Manor Walks Shopping Centre, said: “We are really glad to be supporting our local community and coming together with other organisations as one unit to raise awareness of dementia.

Dementia Action Week is the perfect opportunity to launch our initiative with the working group and to let the public help us in our planning to make Cramlington a dementia friendly town. We really hope people will come down and give their experiences, opinions and suggestions to help our cause.“

For more information about Manor Walks’ Dementia Action Week activity and how to attend a Dementia Friends session visit the Manor Walks website.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Manor Walks .