FAQs

Dementia Friends initiative

What is the Dementia Friends initiative? Back to top

People with dementia sometimes need a helping hand to go about their daily lives and feel included in their local community. Dementia Friends is giving people an understanding of dementia and the small things that they can do that could make a difference to people living with dementia.

We are doing this with the help of one million Dementia Friends and Dementia Friends Champions - people who are helping to create dementia friendly communities together. From helping someone to find the right bus to spreading the word about dementia on social media, every action counts.

Dementia Friends is a national initiative that is being run by Alzheimer's Society. It's funded by the government and aims to improve people's understanding of dementia and its effects. Alzheimer's Society is working with lots of volunteers and other organisations to achieve this goal. Because, together, we can create dementia friendly communities.

Who is behind the Dementia Friends initiative? Back to top

Dementia Friends is a national initiative that is being run by Alzheimer's Society. It is funded by the government, and aims to improve people's understanding of dementia and its effects. Alzheimer's Society is working with lots of volunteers and other organisations to achieve this goal.

What is the difference between a Dementia Friend and a Dementia Friends Champion? Back to top

A Dementia Friend is someone who takes a Friends' information session (lasting approximately one hour) and then turns their understanding into a practical action that could help someone with dementia living in their community.

A Dementia Friends Champion runs Friends' information sessions for people in their personal networks or communities. They do this after taking the Dementia Friends Champions' training run by Alzheimer's Society. The training lasts approximately one day but it may be possible to do the course in two half days or over two evenings

During the Friends' information sessions, Champions help potential Dementia Friends understand all the actions they can do that could help someone living with dementia in their communities. Dementia Friends Champions also share their stories about what is working well on this website so that other Champions can learn from their experience.

Why are there no Dementia Friends Champions' training courses or Dementia Friends' information sessions in my area? Back to top

It will take a few weeks after the launch of Dementia Friends (February) for Alzheimer's Society to set up the first training for Dementia Friend Champions and for Champions to then do their training and set up Dementia Friends' information sessions. So, if there aren't many Champions' training courses or Friends' information sessions showing, please check back later.

Why can I get involved only if I live in England? Back to top

At the moment the Dementia Friends initiative is only being funded to run in England. Alzheimer's Society in Wales and Northern Ireland is currently exploring funding sources to run similar programmes in those areas, which will benefit from the experience of Dementia Friends in England.

However, currently we can only run training sessions in England.

Can I get involved if I have lots of commitments? Back to top

We know from experience that taking on a volunteering commitment is really difficult if you have lots of commitments. If these are your circumstances, it could be that being a Dementia Friends Champion is not right for you at the moment.

However, you can still register now to become a Dementia Friend, and you can register as a Dementia Friends Champion at a later point, if you wish. We will be recruiting Dementia Friends Champions throughout the initiative, which is running until at least 2015.

Are there other things that I can do to help? Back to top

We understand that not everyone will want to or have the time to become a Dementia Friends Champion or Dementia Friend. 

However, you could help spread the word about Dementia Friends through your social media networks or you could encourage your colleagues to become Dementia Friends, particularly if your work brings you into contact with people living with dementia or people caring for people living with dementia.

I don’t know anyone with dementia, can I still be involved? Back to top

Yes. A Dementia Friend or Dementia Friends Champion is someone who has a better understanding of dementia, will know how to act more sympathetically towards people with dementia in their communities and workplaces, and has undertaken to take practical actions to help people with dementia.

If you don't know someone with dementia, your practical action could be to spread the word about the Dementia Friends initiative through social media or to help someone who is looking confused to find the right bus, every action counts.

Will I need to befriend someone with dementia? Back to top

Dementia Friends is not a befriending initiative. A Dementia Friend or Dementia Friends Champion is someone who has a better understanding of dementia, will know how to act more sympathetically towards people with dementia in their communities and workplaces, and has undertaken to turn that understanding into action to help people with dementia feel included in their communities.

Dementia Friends and Dementia Friends Champions should not be forming relationships with people with dementia outside the relationships that they already have. A Dementia Friend or Dementia Friends Champion is not checked to see if they have a criminal record or otherwise vetted as a ?safe' person for people with dementia.

If Dementia Friends or Dementia Friends Champions decide they'd like to take on a befriending or other role providing personal care to people with dementia, they can find out more about the training and support provided by Alzheimer's Society. 

Can organisations get involved in Dementia Friends? Back to top

Dementia Friends should come from all communities, organisations and businesses that are likely to come into contact with people living with dementia. To achieve this, the initiative will involve many partners.

Any organisation can get involved by encouraging staff or volunteers to sign up for Dementia Friends Champions training, so they have one or more Champion in their organisation to engage the workforce in Dementia Friends.

Alzheimer's Society is working with larger companies and organisations to set up training and awareness sessions across their staff groups. Other larger volunteering organisations will be equipped to run their own Dementia Friends programme for their volunteers.

If you want to know more about becoming a Dementia Friends partner, please contact Nikki Crowther.

Why do you need people to take practical actions to help people with dementia? Back to top

There are two goals to the Dementia Friends initiative: increasing the number of people who have an understanding of dementia; and turning that understanding into action. This is because our research shows that people with dementia can continue to live independently in their communities for longer, doing many of the things they have always enjoyed, if they have a helping hand and more people understand dementia.

If one Dementia Friend helps one person with dementia then they make a difference to that person. One million Dementia Friends can make a difference to one million people, or more. Together, we can make sure that people living with dementia are understood and included in their communities.    

Why do I need to register on the website? Back to top

We need you to register on the website so that you are alerted to Friends' information sessions or the Champions' training that are taking place in your area. Your personal details will be held securely.

We also need you to be registered on the website so that you can post information about the action you decide to take after doing a Friends' information session, and, if you are a Champion, so that you can post information about the public information sessions you are running, and share basic information about what worked well.

Dementia Friends Champion

Who can be a Dementia Friends Champion? Back to top

To be a Dementia Friends Champion you need to be 18 and over and live in England.

A Dementia Friends Champion is a volunteer who tells people about dementia, how it affects people's day-to-day lives, and how they can make a positive difference to people living with dementia in their community. It's easy to get involved. Dementia Friends Champions attend a training session, receive support as they need it and are part of a growing network of people creating dementia friendly communities together.

You need to attend a Champions' training session. At the moment there is only funding to run Champions' training in England. If you live in other parts of the UK, you can follow Dementia Friends on Twitter and Facebook and sign up to the Dementia Friends e-newsletter.

To find out more about other activities you can do to help create dementia friendly communities together, please visit Alzheimer's Society's website. 

What happens after I have requested a place on the Dementia Friends Champions' training? Back to top

The trainer from Alzheimer's Society who will be taking your session will contact you with more information about the Champions' training. You will also be asked to do an e-learning module before you attend the training to give you some basic information about dementia. You don't need to have any particular knowledge about dementia before you book a place on the Champions' training course.

What will happen at the Dementia Friends Champions' training course? Back to top

Dementia Friends Champions' training courses are run across England by Alzheimer's Society, using our experience of training volunteers. Each session lasts for one day, although you may be able to do your training course in two half days or over two evenings.

You will learn about dementia and how it affects people, and the practical actions that Dementia Friends can take that could help someone with dementia living in their community.  You will learn how to run Dementia Friends' information sessions to inspire other people to become Dementia Friends and help to create dementia friendly communities.

During the training session you will also get lots of information and resources to help you understand how to answer people's questions about dementia and the sources of further information and support you can direct them to. We will bring our extensive experience of training volunteers to help you feel happy and confident about being a Dementia Friends Champion.

We envisage that the majority of people attending the training will go on to be successful Dementia Friends Champions but this role isn't right for everyone. You may decide after the training that it isn't right for you. Or the trainer may feel your skills and experience are better suited to getting involved in other ways. We will make sure you know how to be involved in the initiative as a Dementia Friend and about other ways you can help create dementia friendly communities.

I’m interested in being a Dementia Friends Champion but I don’t feel comfortable about giving a formal presentation. Back to top

You may not need to set up anything special to run a Dementia Friends' information session. If you are already part of local networks, such as a book club or residents' association, then you could organise a Friends' information session at one of your meetings or among a group of friends or at work. We hope that Dementia Friends Champions will reach as many people as possible by talking to groups, but small groups of friends or even sharing information one to one can help too.

Here are some ideas from Dementia Friends Champions about where they will run their information sessions:

  • Coffee mornings, lunch clubs, knitting groups and book clubs.
  • Tenants' associations and residents' groups.
  • Social clubs.
  • WI, Round Table, British Legion.
  • Students unions.
  • Schools and sixth form colleges.
  • Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides groups.
  • Workplaces.
  • At their places of worship.

We will provide resources on the website to help you to run a Friends' information session, which will include PowerPoint presentations for those people who want to use them. But there will also be informal exercises, quiz sheets, suggestions for book club and reading sessions, bingo sheets, and sample talks. We will keep building this resource so you can find the one that best suits you.

Wherever and however you choose to run a Friends' information session you will need to post it on the Dementia Friends website so that we know about the Friends' information sessions that are being run. However, you are able to choose if you make it public so that other people in your area wanting to be Dementia Friends can search for it and sign up to attend. If you would rather keep your Friends' information session just for people who you already know, then that is fine but please do still tell us about it by putting it on the website.

And if you feel really uncomfortable about passing on information about dementia to other people in your community then perhaps you should consider if volunteering to be a Dementia Friends Champion is for you. Don't forget that you can still be involved in the initiative as a Dementia Friend, which doesn't involve giving Friends' information sessions.

Why do Champions need to give you information about their training sessions? Back to top

We don't want to make being a Dementia Friends Champion a role that involves lots of administration or bureaucracy but we do need some basic information about your Friends' information sessions to know how many Dementia Friends have taken information sessions.

We also want to share stories from Dementia Friends Champions. Your stories about the things that have worked well for you will help other Dementia Friends Champions, and are a really important part of the Dementia Friends initiative. 

What sort of resources will I have to support me as a Dementia Friends Champion? Back to top

Once you have entered your Dementia Friends Champions' code that is emailed to everyone who passes the Champions' training, you will be able to download from the website the resources we have prepared to support you to run a Dementia Friends information session.

There will be PowerPoint presentations for those people who want to use them. But there will also be informal exercises, quiz sheets, suggestions for book club and reading sessions, bingo sheets, and sample talks and sermons. We will keep building these resources so you can find the one that best suits you.

What sort of ongoing support will I have as a Dementia Friends Champion? Back to top

We will issue e-newsletters every two weeks to keep you posted with the progress of the Dementia Friends initiative and to share the stories from our Dementia Friends and Champions about what is working well for them. These will have tips and links to website content that is tailored to Dementia Friends Champions, and you can find information about activities to support people with dementia on this website. 

All Dementia Friends Champions will be signposted to sources of ongoing help, and we will alert you to other training you might want to undertake. For instance, you might want to take a dementia awareness certificate. The Alzheimer's Society website has a wealth of detailed information about dementia.

You will have contact details for your trainer by way of backup in case you get stuck.

Why doesn’t everyone who takes the Dementia Friends Champions’ training pass? Back to top

We envisage that most of the people who sign up for our Dementia Friends Champions' training will go on to become successful Champions. However, this role isn't right for everyone. You may decide after the training that it isn't right for you. Or the trainer may feel your skills and experience are better suited to getting involved in other ways. If this is the case, we'll make sure you know how to be involved in the initiative as a Dementia Friend and about other ways you can support people living with dementia.

Do Dementia Friends Champions need a criminal record check? Back to top

This is not an initiative to provide personal care or befriending services. Rather, it is an initiative to understand dementia better and take practical actions to help create dementia friendly communities.

Some people who become a Dementia Friend or Dementia Friends Champion may already have clearance to work with children or vulnerable adults - for instance, we hope that teachers will become Champions and run information sessions for their students. Equally, you may be inspired by Dementia Friends to take on another role which will require training, a criminal record check and ongoing support.

If Dementia Friends or Dementia Friends Champions decide they'd like to take on a befriending or other role providing personal care to people with dementia, they can find out more about the training and support provided by Alzheimer's Society. 

What is a Dementia Friends Champions' code? Back to top

The Dementia Friends Champions' code is the number you were emailed by your trainer after your Dementia Friends Champions' training. You need to enter your Dementia Friends Champions' code into this website to be able to create, edit and manage the Friends' information sessions you run.

You only have to enter your code once. Next time you log into your account you will be taken straight to your account page.

Dementia Friend

What sort of actions can I take to help someone living with dementia? Back to top

You don't have to commit to doing something time-consuming. You might help spread the word about the Dementia Friends initiative through social media and encourage your friends to take a Friends' information session, or you might spend more time with someone you know who has dementia. Every action counts.

Dementia actions could include:

  • behaving patiently with someone showing the signs of dementia
  • spending more time with, helping or supporting a friend or relative affected by dementia
  • signposting people affected by dementia to more information and support
  • volunteering with an organisation to support people with dementia
  • fundraising for a dementia-related cause
  • helping your workplace to be more dementia friendly
  • telling other people about Dementia Friends or spreading the word through social media.
Who can be a Dementia Friend? Back to top

Anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. A Dementia Friend learns a little bit more about what it's like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action. From helping someone to find the right bus to spreading the word about dementia on social media, every action counts.

You need to attend a Friends' information session. At the moment there is only funding to run Friends' information sessions in England. If you live in other parts of the UK, you can follow Dementia Friends on Twitter and Facebook and sign up to the Dementia Friends e-newsletter.

To find out more about other activities you can do to help create dementia friendly communities together, please visit Alzheimer's Society's website. 

Why do I need to take part in a Dementia Friends' information session? Back to top

An important part of the Dementia Friends initiative is to raise awareness of dementia and the different ways it affects people. We know from our experience that getting people together in a room with a trained volunteer Champion is an effective way of doing this. Friends' information sessions also provide a great way of meeting other people in your community who want to be Dementia Friends, some of whom you may want to stay in touch with after the information session. 

What will happen at a Dementia Friends' information session? Back to top

Friends' information sessions are run by a Dementia Friends Champion, a volunteer who has passed the Dementia Friends Champions' training run by Alzheimer's Society. The Dementia Friends Champion will give you information about dementia, the sorts of practical things that you can do to help, and how you can register the actions that you decide to take after your Friends' information session on this website.

You will also get to meet other Dementia Friends in your community.

What happens after I have booked on a Dementia Friends' information session? Back to top

You book a Friends' information session through this website and then turn up to the venue at the advertised time. The Dementia Friends Champion running that session will have been sent an email telling them that you are coming but will not have your contact details.

If there are no places left at the Friends' information session it won't appear on the website. And if it is cancelled you will receive an automated notification of this.

So, once you have booked onto a Friends' information session you can be confident that you have a place and you can just turn up, unless you get an email telling you that it has been cancelled.

I am / my child is under 18. Can I / they become a Dementia Friend? Back to top

Anyone of any age can become a Dementia Friend. We want young people and school pupils to get involved as well as older people.

Many of our younger Dementia Friends will be introduced to the initiative in their schools and colleges by teachers or other professionals who have taken the Dementia Friends Champions' training. They will attend a private Friends' information session that is only open to them and their peer group and is not open for the general public to book a place on.

Some young people may be motivated to become a Dementia Friend themselves. It is perfectly possible for young people to do this by going to one of the public Friends' information sessions. These are the Friends' information sessions that are available to book on this website.

NB: If someone under 18 wants to go on one of these courses then they must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.

Why do I need to register my actions on the website? Back to top

It's really important to the Dementia Friends initiative that we keep track of the actions that Dementia Friends are taking, but registering your action will also help other Dementia Friends. By sharing information about how you are turning your understanding of dementia into action, you will inspire other people to take action, too, and help to show how, together, we can create dementia friendly communities. Every action counts.

What is a Dementia Friends' code? Back to top

The Dementia Friends' code is the number you were given by the Dementia Friends Champion at the end of your information session. You need to enter your Dementia Friends' code into this website to be able to create, edit and manage the Dementia Friends action or actions you are going to take once you have been to an information session. You only have to enter your code once. Next time you log into your account you will be taken straight to your account page.

What is dementia?

What is dementia? Back to top

Dementia is caused by a number of diseases that affect the brain. The most common is Alzheimer's but diseases also include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and Pick's disease.

Different types of dementia affect the brain at different rates and in different ways, but other things like someone's personal circumstances, the people around them and the environment in which they live will affect their experience of dementia. Dementia progresses in a way that is unique to each individual.

It is true that more people over 65 have dementia but it is not exclusively an older person's disease; younger people get dementia too.  

Five things you need to know about dementia:

  • Dementia is not a natural part of the ageing process.
  • Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain.
  • It is not just about losing your memory.
  • It's possible to live well with it.
  • There is more to the person than the dementia.
What sort of difficulties do people with dementia have? Back to top

Dementia often starts with short-term memory loss but it can also affect the way that people think, speak and do things. People with dementia can become confused, find it difficult to communicate, as they can't remember the words that they want, and can have difficulties planning.

Dementia also affects people's moods and motivations. This can happen if the disease affects that part of the brain that controls emotions, but even if this does not happen, people with dementia can feel sad, frightened, frustrated or angry about what is happening to them.

However, with a helping hand, people living with dementia can still enjoy their hobbies, have good relationships with partners and friends and live independently for longer. 

What is a dementia friendly community?

What is a dementia friendly community? Back to top

Dementia friendly communities are villages, towns or cities that support people with dementia to live independently for as long as possible, and to have choice and control over their lives. This could be anything from a local shop introducing better lighting and signage, to a fire service helping people fit safety devices in their home. Any company, business, authority or health board can get involved in networks being set up across the country.

How does Dementia Friends support the development of dementia friendly communities? Back to top

Dementia Friends is one of the key strands of Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Friendly Communities Programme. This programme aims to create communities that are more understanding and welcoming of people living with dementia. By 2015, there will be a network of a million Dementia Friends creating dementia friendly communities together.