South Asian dementia awareness roadshow

South Asian dementia awareness roadshow

The South Asian Dementia Project, BME Health & Wellbeing has been delivering a series of community based dementia awareness sessions.

Shahid Mohammed, founder of BME Health & Wellbeing, explained: “Dementia and its symp-toms are often misunderstood within the south Asian community, as there is no word for dementia in many south Asian languages and people with dementia or any other mental health problems are referred to as ‘Pagal’ (crazy/mad) or assumed its part of the aging process; and therefore there is still a huge stigma attached to condition.

"This awareness campaign was organised in response to the community consultation that we held in 2016 where the need for community based dementia ‘training’ was highlighted as a need.”

Dr Shanu Datta, Consultant Psychiatrist for older people at the Memory Clinic in Rochdale said: “It’s important that we change our attitude and behaviours towards dementia as it’s a fact and not matter of shame that someone living with dementia.

"We need to spread this message across cultures and communities and this is the focus of today’s event and its being held at the heart of local community in Rochdale.

"Dementia does not discriminate and we must learn more about it.”

In the first six months BME Health & Wellbeing have raised awareness of dementia to over 350 people from BME and South Asian community, including the sessions at BACP, Wardleworth Community Centre, Sudden Community Centre, Sparth Community Centre and Spotland Community Centre.

Dementia awareness packs have been produced that are distributed to every attendee during the sessions; they contain bi-lingual (English/Urdu/Bangla) information on dementia and include contact information on the leaflets, fridge magnets and pens.

Mr Mohammed added: “We have also been going on air at Crescent Radio to raise awareness of dementia and the associated stigma, and to promote the Dementia Roadshow, it was brilliant that so many people were calling in to ask questions. We talked a lot on co-morbidities and how issues such as TIA have a correlation to vascular diseases and vascular dementia. Sue Clarke, Regional Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society and Chris Larkin, Regional Manager of the Stroke Association also accompanied me on the radio.”

If any group would like more information on dementia, or would like us to deliver a session then please contact us on info@bmehaw.co.uk