Calderdale people urged to remember the person this Dementia Awareness Week

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is encouraging local people, health and social care staff, people who use services and their carers to remember the person during Dementia Awareness Week which runs from 20th – 26th May.

Dementia Awareness Week is organised by the Alzheimer’s society, a national charity that works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England. The awareness week is an opportunity to increase understanding about dementia and get people to remember that there is more to a person than the condition.

Dementia is a common condition, 570,000 people in England are currently living with the condition. Dementia is a syndrome, a group of related symptoms, associated with the ongoing decline of the brain.

There is no cure for the condition and symptoms are progressive which means they will get worse over time. However there are a number of treatments available that can help people cope better with their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Ian Black, Trust Chairman said, "Dementia affects many people in our local communities and can have a devastating impact on the lives of their family members. It is vital that we continue to see the person, not the condition and to help people living with dementia to live their lives to the full. At the Trust we are working to promote and improve services available for people with dementia and their carers, listening to them about what matters most so we provide the right services, at the right time and in the right place."

For more information about Dementia Awareness week, advice on living with the condition and details of events planned in support of the week in Calderdale visit www.alzheimers.org.uk