Tamworth maintains ‘Dementia Friendly Community’ status for the fourth year running

Tamworth maintains Dementia Friendly status for 4th year Local people encouraged to join awareness sessions for free Tamworth has more than 5,500 Dementia Friends since 2017

Tamworth has been congratulated for maintaining its Dementia Friendly Community status by the Alzheimer’s Society.

Although the achievement marks the culmination of the past four years of hard work by the Tamworth Borough Council, community groups, local organisations and businesses, there is always more that can be done.

The ultimate aim of Dementia Friendly Communities is to help people living with dementia, and their carers, to feel safe, supported and involved in community life. This includes raised awareness and understanding, and improved services across all sectors.

A great deal of progress has already been made as part of the process to achieve and maintain a dementia friendly status, resulting in more than 5,500 Dementia Friends since it was established in January 2017.

Progress includes:

• The creation of the Tamworth Dementia Friendly Communities Group – a partnership of stakeholders working together to improve the lives of local people with dementia. The Tamworth DFC members include Tamworth Borough Council, the police, fire service, health care services and providers, community groups and businesses.

• More work to engage with people living with dementia and their carers to find out how their lives could be improved locally.
• The established ‘Memory Café’, led by Tamworth DFC member Home Instead Senior Care, at The Sacred Heart Church in Glascote.
• Ensuring that all Tamworth Borough Council services are accessible to people with dementia, from paying a bill to attending a show. This includes text reminders for payments, appointments and bin collections.
• The inclusion of National Dementia Awareness Week into the town’s Events Calendar, which annually includes a number of workshops and events to raise awareness about dementia.
• The roll out of Dementia Friends awareness sessions to Tamworth councillors, Tamworth Borough Council staff members, businesses, organisations and community groups in the area. Sessions have been delivered by local Dementia Friends Champions and Tamworth’s Community Together CIC.

Residents and community groups are encouraged to book a free Dementia Friends Information Session, delivered by volunteer ambassadors, via: www.dementiafriends.org.uk/WEBSession.

During this friendly and interactive session, you will learn more about dementia, how it affects a person and what you can do to help people affected by dementia in your community. Big or small, every action counts.

The session lasts around 45 minutes and will be delivered face to face at a local venue, or virtually via an online webinar or a livestream video.

As a dementia friendly town, there is more information and signposting, including greater online resources. More information is listed on the  Dementia Action Alliance web page.

Change locally has been led by the Tamworth Dementia Friendly Communities (TDFC) – a group of organisations, authorities, businesses and schools working together to ensure Tamworth is a town in which people living with dementia feel safe and supported, with access to the services they need.

Through the Tamworth DFC, the town has hosted various events, such as memory cafés, support groups, the creation of a dementia friendly sensory garden in the Castle Grounds and an annual week of action to raise awareness and money for dementia services.

Chairman of Tamworth Dementia Friendly Communities, John Edwards, said: “It is wonderful to see our town maintain its Dementia Friendly status and that many people are helping to make life better for those living with dementia and their carers. 

“We are encouraging more residents to book our online Dementia Friends Information Sessions. People can either join a face-to-face session locally or an online webinar for free. They will learn how they can support family, friends and neighbours, who may be living with or affected by Dementia.

“The response from the people of Tamworth to the work of Tamworth DFC has been fantastic. Please get in touch via the website if you would like to get involved: Tamworth Dementia Action Alliance website, or www.tamworth.gov.uk/dementia-friendly.”