Dementia Awareness with Sufi Music

Mohammed Sarwar at the Dementia Awareness

Over 100 people attended a night of Sufi Music, with the international Nizami Brother Qawals, to celebrate the Urs of the famous Saint, Hazrat Baba Fareed Uddin Ganje Shakar (RA) at the Multicultural Arts and Media Centre (MAMC) on Saturday 26 September.

The event was attended by prominent Muslim faith leaders, local GPs, community leaders, Councillor Aasim Rashid, Mohammed Sheraz, Abdul Hamid, a guest from Pakistan and supported by Crescent Radio.

Free food was provided by Haji Iftikhar from Manchester, supported by a team of volunteers from MAMC and Greater Manchester.

The event started with recitation of the Quran, followed by a presentation from Mohammed Sarwar (CEO-MAMC) on dementia awareness. He highlighted the need of the BME community to take part in dementia friends training to be aware of the symptoms, support and local services available.

Mr Sarwar said, MAMC has a limited resource: "We have made great efforts to deliver our services on dementia awareness and mental health and wellbeing over the four years to engage patients, carers and members of the public with support from many volunteers.

"The services includes providing arts therapy sessions, dementia friends awareness sessions, established and launched the Arts For Dementia Therapy Network with currently 79 members, development training for members to engage with their local community, Dementia Awareness & Arts Therapy Event at Heywood Civic Hall.

"The participants feedback indicates that there is lack of awareness of dementia and mental health issues, insufficient support materials and services information available."

Councillor Aasim Rashid said he was pleased to see so many people and the Sufi music event was a breakthrough by including information and encouraging the BME community and leaders to be active in raising awareness of health and social care issues within their community.