Organisations across South Tyneside came together for the Dementia Awareness event, which was opened by Mayor of South Tyneside, Cllr Fay Cunningham.
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00:00Today's event is all about bringing all the services in South Tyneside together that have any input to do with a person's journey with regards to their dementia, whether it's post or pre-diagnosis.
00:17And it's really coming together today in South Tyneside to show a united front and support that's out there for people no matter where they are in their journey.
00:27Well there's myself from the Alzheimer's Society who organises the event. We also have the Admiral Nurses, which is a fantastic small nursing team in South Tyneside, which are dementia specialist nurses.
00:42We also have a number of services which actually run groups for people and their carers who are living with dementia, like the Memory Café in Bourgeon and Living Well with Dementia in Heaven.
00:56We also have the Memory Protection Service, which is part of the NHS and part of the Diagnosis Pantry. They've come along today.
01:04We also have Age Concern, who have a huge impact in the area as well with regards to all their services and groups.
01:11And we also have Northumbria Police have come along today as well, because a lot of people do come into contact with the police unfortunately when maybe their loved one has maybe gone missing or a little bit disorientated.
01:26And finally we also have Churches Together, a nurturing dementia group here as well, who do a lot for the community.
01:33So this event actually lands in what's called Dementia Awareness Week, which is a national thing that is done with the Alzheimer's Society.
01:42But really this local event that's been organised by myself is just a way of bringing all the services and organisations together that have any input to do with dementia or any part of their journey.
02:00To let the people of South Tyneside know that there is a lot of support out there, but also to raise that awareness that there's also people who are maybe living with dementia, but aren't diagnosed.
02:12Statistics show that one in three people are living with an undiagnosed dementia.
02:18So if people have got those types of questions or concerns about themselves or a loved one, this is an ideal opportunity to come along and speak to a number of professionals or services involved.
02:33The Alzheimer's Society, as people know, is a national charity. However, within every local area there is certain services that will also be run, sometimes differently.
02:46So in South Tyneside, the Alzheimer's Society run a number of groups in the area, carers groups, Singing for the Brain and a memory cafe.
02:57And we also provide one-on-one support as well, whether that's for a person living with dementia or loved ones.
03:05And we can provide emotional and practical guidance, as well as community support.
03:14I think this is an absolutely brilliant event because it's bringing together all of the services that South Tyneside can provide for people that are either awaiting diagnosis of dementia or have been diagnosed with dementia.
03:31I know how terrifying it can be for three of my dear friends to be diagnosed. It's devastating for friends and family who don't always know what to do.
03:45But the services that are here today in the library are going to help families amazingly.
03:52If I could just explain, I've been involved with Dementia Friendly for many years.
03:56South Tyneside Council committed to being a dementia-friendly borough.
04:04We started in Heaven, and Heaven has been a dementia-friendly part of our borough now for, I would say, about eight or nine years.
04:14I was very proud to lead the Jarrow project, and we made Jarrow dementia-friendly in about a year.
04:24We were going to start in South Sheares, but COVID hit.
04:29And so we've never been quite off the ground.
04:33So I'm hoping that shortly we'll be able to get started with South Sheares.
04:40Alzheimer's, dementia, the services are there. It's so important that people know what services are there.
04:52Otherwise, it's just a life for families.
04:56So today is amazing, and I'm really, really happy to help Alzheimer's Society to get this off the ground.
05:05My husband had dementia. It was something I lost six years ago.
05:09And I have really lots of good support from Alzheimer's Society.
05:13As much as we want to get something back, it's very important to bring awareness of dementia and the challenges people can face.
05:21They're living with dementia, caring for somebody with dementia.
05:25CARE has meetings which are really, really helpful.
05:28So people can talk confidentially to see what is happening in their lives and what is going on.
05:36Reading Wealth for Dementia is a national scheme. It first started in 2015, and it's just been updated.
05:41And we're delighted to be launching a new one again today.
05:44And what it is, it's books that have been chosen by specialists, people with lived experience,
05:51to give people information and advice about dementia and whichever stage they're at.
05:57So there's some books aimed at children.
06:00So you've got picture books which explain what's happening to their grandparents, maybe, or something like that,
06:05to just put things into context.
06:07There's personal life stories, because sometimes people want to know what other people have been living through and what they've gone through.
06:15And there's other books about guides, proper useful help information.
06:19It's all been approved by NICE, so it's really useful.
06:22It's all very good books that provide a lot of useful information, and they're available through the libraries of Southampton.