Reading Time: < 1 minute

The Jeweller Quarter Development Trust teams (JQBID, JQTH and JQ Cemeteries Project) completed online training in 2020 to become Dementia Friends. 

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. Symptoms include memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. Although we often think of it as a disease affecting older people, (1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have dementia) there are still 42,000 people under 65 with Dementia in the UK. Even though the condition is widespread, it can often be hard to spot the signs, meaning many people are uncertain how to approach someone with Dementia.

To better understand the experience of living with Dementia and the challenges people face, the Jewellery Quarter Townscape Heritage Project organised for the JQDT teams to undertake Dementia Friends training. Broken down into short videos, the training offered practical advice and helpful analogies for how to empathise with someone affected by the disease.

Matthew Crawley-Alexander, our JQBID Ambassador, spends much of his time interacting with businesses and members of the public, he found the training immensely helpful. Matt said:

Dementia friends training has really opened up my eyes to the potential issues people with Dementia face every day. I will now be able to spot people having trouble and support anyone in need. The examples and specific triggers mentioned in the training, like mirrors or traffic crossings sometimes causing confusion, showed me how little I knew about the disease but also gives me something to watch out for.

For any business or organisation looking to take part in this free online training course, the first step is to register your organisation with Dementia Friends or visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk for more information.

Share this