How wearing denim raised money for dementia

STAFF at Warrington Borough Council donned their denim to raise money during Dementia Awareness Week.
The council’s adult social care team encouraged staff across the authority to join the “Wear Denim for Dementia” campaign and donate money to the Alzheimer’s Society.
As a result, a total of £607.28 was raised.
Cllr Pat Wright, the council’s lead member for health and adult social care, presented the  money to the Alzheimer’s Society at the Dementia Café at British Homes Stores’ restaurant.
Cllr Wright said: “It was a privilege to be able to present the Alzheimer’s Society with the generous donations from council staff. The Alzheimer’s Society make a huge difference to people living with dementia and it’s fantastic that the council have supported this campaign.
“With support like this, the Alzheimer’s Society will help more and more people understand that it’s possible to live independently with dementia as long as you have a little help, understanding and kindness from the people around you.”
The adult social care team also organised a dementia awareness session at Warrington Deaf Centre and worked alongside the Alzheimer’s Society to deliver training specifically tailored for the deaf community.
The training produced 30 more members for Dementia Friends, which was set up to give more people an understanding of dementia.
Dementia Friends are volunteers who help those with dementia feel support and included in their community and there are currently 2,576 in Warrington.
This new group of Dementia Friends will be able to support deaf people with dementia in Warrington and provide much needed support to people who often struggle to access mainstream services.
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, the council’s lead member for public health and wellbeing, also attended the session and said: “Attending this session helped me to understand the specific needs of deaf people with dementia. I was honoured to go along to the awareness session and witness first-hand the fantastic work the council is doing to ensure more residents are aware of dementia.
“The event was a huge success and it was great to see that very positive links were made between the Alzheimer’s Society and the Deaf Centre.”
Picture:  Members of the Dementia Café with Cllr Pat Wright and Mandy Gough of the Alzheimer’s Society.