A number of free events are to be held in the village of Peasedown St John near Bath this month to mark national Dementia Action Week.
Running from 16th – 22nd May, Dementia Action Week helps the public find out more about dementia and how they can support those living with the condition.
The Peasedown events are being run by the Dementia Friendly Peasedown group.
Gavin Heathcote, Chairman of the Peasedown Community Trust, the charity which runs the initiative, said: “There are currently 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, and that figure is set to rise to 2 million by 2050.
“One in four people will be affected by dementia in their lifetimes, especially those diagnosed with clinical anxiety in middle age, which is why it’s important to work with individuals and their families to try and make life much easier for those who have it.
“Furthermore, figures released by the Alzheimer’s Society show that dementia was the most common pre-existing condition in those that have died from Covid. Of all the Covid deaths in England and Wales, 25% of those that sadly passed away had dementia.”
Two free Dementia Friendly Workshops will be held on:
- Monday 16th May, 7pm at St John’s Church Hall, Church Road.
- Tuesday 17th May, 7pm at St John’s Church, Church Road.
Project Coordinator, Nathan Hartley, added: “The Trust wants to engage with as many people as possible over the next year and make them aware of dementia, and how we as a community can support those who live with it.
“As well as hosting these dementia information workshops, we’ve recently produced a new ‘Guide to Dementia in Peasedown’ booklet which is available at Peasedown Community Library..”
To sign up for your free Dementia Awareness Workshop, email the Community Trust at [email protected].