Belong helps Warrington youngsters become Dementia Friends

Local youngsters are doing their bit to raise awareness and understanding of dementia by becoming Dementia Friends with the help of experts from Belong Warrington.
Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers from the Mersey Weaver District Scouts group and pupils from Chapelford Primary School have recently taken part in ‘Dementia Friends’ sessions, where they learned how to engage and interact with people living with dementia. The sessions, developed by the Alzheimer’s Society, aim to increase understanding about what it is like to live with dementia and the ways you can help.
Lisa McLaughlin, Experience Co-ordinator at Belong Warrington, who led the session with the village’s Practice Development Facilitator, Michelle Jones, commented: “Dementia can impact the lives of almost anybody, and there are a lot of younger people who feel apprehensive about what dementia means and aren’t sure how to interact with people living with dementia.”
“We were delighted with the way that the sessions went, and felt that the children were very engaged with what we were saying. Equipping young people with the skills they need is an important step towards improving the lives of those with dementia and, as we’ve seen with these sessions, children are generally very receptive and keen to get on board – we just have to take the time to show them the way.”
The sessions, adapted from the usual one-hour session, were tailored to engage the interest of children of all ages, and aimed to help them to be mindful of people living with dementia in their community.
Oliver Chambers, representative of the Mersey Weaver District Scouts, added: “The Dementia Friends session with Belong Warrington was brilliant. The staff really connected with the children and kept them interested all the way through; they even came away from the session talking to one another about the things they had learned. I’d like to pass on a big thank you from us all for helping us to become Dementia Friends!”

During Dementia Awareness Week (15 – 21st May 2016) Belong Warrington will be running dementia information sessions at the village that are open to everyone. Sessions are running Wednesday 18th May, 6.30pm – 7.30pm, and Friday 20th May, 10am – 11am. For more information, call Belong Warrington on 01925 593800.