August 25 2018

Alzheimer's Support's Claire Thomas has been congratulated after helping more than 2,000 people in Wiltshire understand more about dementia.

She has created 2,027 Dementia Friends after hosting 111 of the hour-long information sessions. She reaching the milestone at a session held for employees of our corporate partner apetito in Trowbridge,  (where she is pictured above, front left). 

Dementia Friends is a national campaign led by Alzheimer's Society in which groups of people of any age come together to learn more about what it is like to live with dementia in an interactive one-hour information session. Friends are encouraged to turn their understanding into action to make their communities more supportive of people living with dementia and their carers.

Claire created her first 1,000 Dementia Friends as a project worker on Wiltshire's Dementia Aware Project, led by Alzheimer's Support and Alzheimer's Society. She has continued to deliver the sessions as part of her new role, in particular supporting schools and businesses who wish to be more dementia friendly. 

She said: "The sessions are a fantastic way to understand more about dementia and reduce some of the stigma that is still attached to it.

“I have really enjoyed the specially adapted sessions I’ve delivered to schools. The children have been so engaged and it really feels as though I am helping to create a more dementia-aware generation.”

To arrange a Dementia Friends session for your business, school or voluntary group call 01225 776481 or see www.dementiafriends.org.uk