Dementia awareness week at the Cumberland Infirmary

The new Information Point run by The Alzheimer’s Society in the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, will be providing extra advice sessions during Dementia Awareness Week which runs from Sunday 20 May until Saturday 26 May 2012.

The initiative between North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust and The Alzheimer’s Society offers patients and visitors to the Cumberland Infirmary the opportunity to access advice and information if they are concerned about their memory or a friend or relative’s memory.

The Information Point is permanently on display in the Atrium area of the Infirmary with information leaflets available to take home and a representative from The Alzheimer’s Society is available to answer any questions or discuss any concerns every Tuesday afternoon between 2pm and 4pm. During Dementia Awareness Week, which aims to get people thinking and talking about dementia, a representative from the Society will be available as follows:

Date	Time
Sunday 20 May	6.30pm – 8.30pm
Monday 21 May – Saturday 26 May	2pm – 4pm

Dr Jim George, Elderly Care Consultant at the Cumberland Infirmary, is delighted with the new Information Point. He said: “Dementia is an illness which is emerging from the shadows. Until now, dementia has the same status as cancer thirty years ago – rarely talked about and feared. Now we are beginning to realise that dementia is potentially a treatable medical condition and there is much that can be done to help.”

In Cumbria, there were estimated to be 7,486 people with dementia in 2011, with only 47% of those in receipt of a formal diagnosis. With this number set to rise to 10,040 by 2021, it is important that public awareness is raised.

Talking about the new information point at the Cumberland Infirmary, Louise Wisdom from The Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Dementia Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to get people talking about dementia. We need to tackle the misunderstanding and stigma surrounding dementia if we are to ensure people with dementia are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The extra advice sessions in the hospital are therefore a great opportunity to spend some time, whether you have five minutes or half an hour, to learn more about dementia.”

During Dementia Awareness Week, The Alzheimer’s Society will also be providing information and advice in Carlisle Library on Wednesday 23 and Friday 25 May and hosting a coffee morning in the Old Town Hall on Friday 25 May at 10.30am – 12pm.