Corsley pub learns about becoming a dementia friend

THE community owned Cross Keys in Corsley held a inspirational workshop on being a Dementia Friend last Thursday. The workshop was run by one of Alzheimers Support's Dementia Friends Champions from Warminster, Andrea Pearce. Alzheimers Support have been working with Wiltshire Council to train all of their 5000 staff about dementia as well as running workshops in the community on how to improve the lives of dementia sufferers and support their carers.

Neil Carpenter, who helped organise the workshop, said: "The workshop, held with good humour and lots of real life stories to make you smile and sad at the same time was really useful and we learnt a lot from the workshop about the way dementia affects people and how they see the world.

"What we learnt this evening is that it will be easy for us to make the pub dementia friendly and all the team are keen to get involved. We hope that those living with dementia will be as excited as we are that there is now a place that they can come to."

There are very few places that are dementia friendly and where people can socialise. The team at the Cross Keys wanted to make sure that their pub was welcoming to all members of the community, including those living with dementia themselves and their friends and family.

Dementia effects one in 14 people over 65 and one in three people over 85 and can last many years so we all know people suffering with dementia in our community.

Mr Carpenter added: "We learnt a lot about the way dementia affects people and how they see the world. can come. One of the major things with dementia is that people become isolated and stuck in their homes as many environments are not dementia-friendly. We want to make the pub a dementia-friendly environment where everyone will feel welcome and comfortable and they and their carers and friends can come and eat food they remember and enjoy.

"We learnt this evening that it will be easy for us to make the pub dementia-friendly and all the team are keen to get involved. We hope that those living with dementia will be as excited as we are that there is now a place that they can come to."