Bid to raise Dementia awareness

The ‘let’s talk’ event at Castlemere Community Centre

BME Health Matters and Voices 4 Wellbeing have hosted a ‘Let’s Talk’ event in Rochdale to raise awareness of Dementia.

The event, held at Castlemere Community Centre, saw over 120 local people attend from the black and minority ethnic communities.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness about Dementia and the services available with the focus of giving support to the local community about how to access them. The audience also had the opportunity to have their say about relevant issues.

Event co-coordinator, Khalid Bashir of BME Health Matters, said: “My father suffered from Dementia and sadly we know how devastating the effects are on the individual and the whole family.

“This event was very important to try and reduce the taboo and stigma attached to dementia so that anybody that is suffering with this condition can access the help that is required’’.

Guest speakers at the event included Fozia Waseem from NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Sue Clarke from the Alzheimer’s Society, Jane Myers from Rochdale Council’s Adult Social Care department and a representative from Age Concern.

Each speaker gave an overview of their organisation. One of the unique features of the event was the interactive “Ask the Audience Questions” asking questions about Dementia, which allowed the audience to vote on hand held devices giving their views, with the results showing instantly on the large screen.

The question and answer session was a lively debate including peoples experiences and how they could access existing services. One of the key issues was to develop follow up events to identify further Health and Social care issues within BME Communities. The findings and recommendations will be made available in a report format and finalised in the near future.