Dementia Awareness Week

I’m supporting Dementia Awareness Week, which runs from May 15th – May 21st.

I know from personal experience how hard and frightening it can be to see someone you know and love being affected by dementia. It’s an incredibly cruel disease which impacts both the patient and their family and friends, who can often feel isolated and over-stretched. With an ageing population, the number of people living with dementia is increasing year-on-year: in Newport alone the condition affects almost 2,000 people.

Dementia Awareness Week is an important opportunity to highlight the support offered by charities like the Alzheimer’s Society, who do great work here in Newport through initiatives like the ‘Music and Memories’ choir and the Memory Café at Belle Vue Park. These projects offer a valuable helping hand to those affected by Alzheimer’s at what can often be a frightening time; assuring families that they do not have to face the daunting challenge of caring for a loved one with dementia on their own.

If you’re worried that you, or someone close to you, might have dementia, call our National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122 or email [email protected] for advice and support.