3rd June 2019
In the lead up to Dementia and Mental Health Awareness Weeks, Eden Housing Association’s Sim Court hosted a coffee morning to which they welcomed retired dementia charity worker Margaret Irving of Penrith.
Before retirement, Margaret was the Business Development Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society. She now voluntarily represents dementia support organisations, and spoke about being a “dementia friend”. In her experience people can be reluctant to open up about the disease, and it is hoped the morning will provide support and information on a health condition that people fear.
Figures show there are 5,003 people over the age of 65 in Cumbria who have been diagnosed with some form of dementia.
There are many significant benefits to an early diagnosis of dementia and dementia-related conditions like Alzheimer’s. There is medication which can help slow down the condition, and a diagnosis can also unlock a lot of support services for the person and their carers, and provide help and advice to enable people to continue to live well, in their own home, for as long as possible.
Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms such as loss of memory, behaviour changes and problems in reasoning. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for about 60 per cent of cases.
