GOING in the right direction – but still work to do.
That was the verdict on efforts to make Barnard Castle a dementia friendly town.
An open meeting was organised at the Methodist church hall to mark two years since the Barnard Castle Dementia Friendly Community Group was founded.
The event reviewed activities to date and looked at what could be done in the future to ensure everything possible was done to help those with dementia.
Chairman Ian Kirkbride said since the group’s inception, a number of organisations had undergone dementia awareness training, coin recognition charts had been circulated, while the YMCA had offered a home to a group of fiddle mat makers.
He said efforts were continuing to develop a short play suitable for primary school children based on dale author Jessica Shepherd’s book Grandma.
Mr Kirkbride said the group drew its membership from a wide range of organisations.
But he added: “I still think there are people out there who can help us make progress.”
He said he would like to see a GP and social services representatives attending the group’s meetings.
Dementia advisor Faith Walkwell, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said that while a large number of dementia friends had been established in Barnard Castle, the long term aim was to create a group of volunteer dementia champions in the town who could lead training sessions.
“We need to get more champions in this area so there are constant dementia friends sessions to keep it going,” she said.
“We don’t just want to have one cohort and as a result the information doesn’t get passed on.”
In addition to dementia champions, Ms Walkwell said more volunteers were needed to work with the Alzheimer’s Society.
One who already volunteers for the society is Sally Davies, from Westwick.
She reinforced Ms Walkwell’s appeal for volunteers, saying the Games for the Brain group, which meets weekly at The Hub needed more helpers.
“The number of people who attend these sessions is increasing and we need more volunteers to make them work really well,” she said.
Ms Davies also highlighted a couple of areas for improvement highlighted by people she knew with dementia.
“One is a public seating area designated as a dementia friendly place.
“There are places in Barnard Castle and it does not take a whole lot more to make people more aware,” she added.
The other idea she put forward was for a drop-in centre where people could go for advice and where volunteers could be based to provide support for those living with dementia if their carers needed a short break to go shopping or carry out other tasks.
Asked whether Barnard Castle could claim to be a dementia friendly community, town councillor John Blissett said: “It is going in the right direction but there is still work to be done.”
