Shipston leads the county in dementia awareness

Shipston has taken a big step forward in its ambition to become a dementia-friendly town, following an awareness-raising workshop held in January. For full details, turn to page six.

The workshop was aimed at traders and service providers in the town. Those attending included representatives from local shops, the bank, the medical centre, therapy centre, town council and the Alzheimer’s Society.  Members of the group were able to exchange their own experiences of assisting residents who were displaying early symptoms of dementia, right up to those who were extremely distressed and confused.  It became clear that the whole community had a role to play in ensuring that Shipston becomes a Dementia Friendly Town, an initiative started by Dr. Sue Pritchard from the Medical Centre.

Apart from the obvious immediate assistance that the group could offer in their business premises, other more far-reaching options were discussed, including local fundraising for the provision of an Admiral Nurse - a specialist dementia nurse - in the town.

Every member of the group signed up as a “Dementia Friend”. This involved making a pledge, a promised action to help raise awareness, tolerance or assistance to those with dementia. All Dementia Friends receive a forget-me-knot badge to help identify to those in need where they can find help. To find out more about becoming a Dementia Friend, visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk. 

Town councillor, Ronnie Murphy, said “We were thrilled to see so many people attending what proved to be a very useful workshop. We learned a great deal about the role we all have to play in supporting people with dementia, including alerting the relevant support services if we feel someone needs help.”

If you are concerned that someone you know may be showing signs of dementia, call 01926 410410 and ask for the Adult Safeguarding Team, who will arrange for an assessment of needs for the individual referred.

If funding allows, the council hopes to host a further workshop in April. If you are a business owner or service provider in the town, please contact the Town Council for more information on 01608 662180.