The Dementia Friends programme, run by the Alzheimer's Society, is the biggest ever initiative to alter people's perceptions of dementia.
It aims to get people change the way they think, talk and act about the condition by learning more dementia and the small ways they can help someone living with it.
People can become a Dementia Friend by attending one of the face to face information sessions being held during Dementia Awareness Week.
They will take place at the University of Wolverhampton on Monday 16 May and Friday 20 May from 10am to 11.30am and at Epic Café, Lichfield Street, on Saturday 21 May from 11am to 12pm. For more information, and to register for the sessions, please contact angela.clifford@wlv.ac.uk regarding the sessions at the university and em.smith@creativesupport.org.uk for the session at Epic Café.
Alternatively, people can become Dementia Friends by visiting Type=links;Linkid=5999;Title=Dementia Friends;Target=_blank; and watching a short film.
The Alzheimer's Society will also be holding special Dementia Friends sessions for City of Wolverhampton Council staff during Dementia Awareness Week.
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.
"Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways people can help. I'd encourage residents to become a Dementia Friend - and in doing so join the 1.5 million Dementia Friends nationally who better understand the needs of people living with dementia."
Members of Wolverhampton's Dementia Action Alliance have arranged a series of events and activities throughout Dementia Awareness Week, from information and advice sessions to a charity football match at Molineux Stadium, and are 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. Please visit Type=articles;Articleid=6893;Title=Dementia; for more details.
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 helpline@alzheimers.org.uk. More information about Alzheimer's Society and Dementia Awareness Week 2016 is available at Type=links;Linkid=3328;Title=Alzheimer's Society;Target=_blank;.
- released: Thursday 28 April, 2016