Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage is backing Dementia Awareness Week this week having become a 'Dementia Friend' earlier this year.
Dementia Awareness Week is about ensuring that life doesn't end when dementia begins and that people living with dementia are able to hold on to their lives and the things they love for longer.
The initiative is led by The Alzheimer's Society alongside the well-known 'Dementia Friends' project which Caroline became involved in at the beginning of the year. She held a training session for her team in Gosport and some local Councillors, during which they learned about how to help people living with dementia feel included in their community. Caroline then went on to host an event at the Gosport Discovery Centre which gave local people an opportunity to put forward their ideas about making the local area 'dementia friendly'.
Speaking in support of Dementia Awareness Week, Caroline said:
"My grandma suffered with Dementia and I saw first-hand the effect it had on her and the rest of our family so I was thrilled to become 'Dementia Friend' and develop a greater understanding of how people living with dementia in our community can be helped.
I really want to see our area become 'dementia friendly' and will continue to work with The Alzheimer's Society and local people to see this become a reality."
More than 1 in 3 people living with dementia live within the community so it is crucial that they are given the support and compassion that they need to live as normal a life as possible.