ALMOST 40 people attended the South Hams Community and Voluntary Services’ Dementia Matters event in Kingsbridge last week.

The event gave people the opportunity to learn about what support is available for people living with dementia and their families, as well considering what more could be done to make the area more inclusive and supportive to people with the condition.

Speakers included local GP Dr Mottram, representatives from the Alzheimer’s Society who run the Kingsbridge memory café, and local ‘dementia champion’ Judy Snape from Kingsbridge Library.

The event was organised by South Hams CVS and Devon County Council, with the idea being suggested by the Kingsbridge and District Caring Alliance. The alliance is made up of local voluntary organisations and the health service, with the aim of improving co-operation between different agencies to better meet local needs.

Katie Reville from the CVS said: ‘We were delighted with the number of people who took the time to come to the event last week to find out more about this important issue. ‘Dementia can be a scary topic for people to talk about, which is why it is important to raise awareness of the condition and to do our best to make community activities and facilities friendly and inviting to everyone.

‘The event was a great way to raise awareness of existing activities in Kingsbridge such as the memory café and ‘singing for the brain’ sessions in the library, and it also highlighted the importance of supporting carers.

‘One suggestion was to set up a specific Facebook page to bring local carers together to share information and advice, and we hope that this can be achieved quite easily.’

Following the event, the plan is for attendees to consider how their village or parish can become more dementia friendly. This might be through organising ‘dementia friends’ sessions for groups and organisations - offered free of charge through the Alzheimer’s Society, or for more awareness-raising events to be held.

There is also the possibility of a ‘dementia alliance’ being formed to help co-ordinate activities across the area, and if anyone would like to support this please contact Katie Reville on 01803 862266 or email [email protected].

National Dementia Awareness week is from the Sunday, May 15 until Saturday, May 21, and lots of information on dementia and the support available is on the Alzheimer’s Society’s website at www.alzheimers.org.uk.