More than 10,000 people living with dementia will have the support of Mayor James Palmer to influence decisions on local house and public transport plans.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor will sign and commit to four dementia pledges on Thursday August 16, supported by the Alzheimer’s Society, during a visit to Peterborough’s Dementia Resource Centre.
Mayor Palmer who recently became a Dementia Friend – joining two and a half million people in the UK – will use his position in the combined authority to help people affected by dementia get the support they need, not just in healthcare environments, but in their community too.
The four dementia pledges include:
• I am supporting Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Housing Charter
• I am calling for transport staff in the county to become Dementia Friends
• I am backing the proposal that public transport planning should take the views of dementia into account
• I want to make Cambridgeshire and Peterborough a dementia friendly county and will actively champion the Dementia Friendly Communities within it.
James said: “I am pleased to be uniting with thousands of other Dementia Friends across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, seeking ways to improve the everyday lives of those living with and affected by the condition.
“I understand the steps to creating a dementia friendly society are small and simple but they make the world of difference.”
Fiona Wynde Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Communities Officer, said: “We are delighted to have James committing to helping to make communities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough more dementia friendly.
“There are more than 10,000 people living with dementia in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, yet too many face the condition alone without adequate support.
“Because public understanding is so poor, people with dementia often feel misunderstood, marginalised and isolated. This can mean people are less likely to be able to live independently in their own communities.
“As part of a long-term commitment to help more communities and businesses become dementia- friendly, Alzheimer’s Society has set an ambitious target of creating four million Dementia Friends by 2020.”
Anyone can become a Dementia Friend by watching a short online video or attending an Information Session. Visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here