AS part of National Dementia Awareness Week, the Four Rivers Dementia Alliance is promoting the support available to people living with dementia and their carers, with a promotional stand at Ivybridge Library on Thursday, May 19 between 10am and 3pm.

The alliance of local organisations is working together to create dementia-friendly communities around the Plym, Yealm, Erme and Avon rivers.

Across the alliance’s area there are numerous memory cafes, reading groups, luncheon clubs and social groups that can be a social lifeline for people living with dementia and their carers.

There is also lots of advice and information available from the Alzheimer’s Society, who will be on hand on Thursday, May 19 in Ivybridge Library.

Liz Hitchins from the Dementia Friendly Parishes around the Yealm initiative said: ‘When someone is diagnosed with dementia they will often withdraw from community life as they are worried about how they will be treated and perceived.

‘It is so important to encourage and enable people to remain engaged in the things they enjoy and for community groups and local facilities to be accepting of people living with the condition. Dementia Awareness Week is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the fantastic local activities and support available to people living with dementia.’

Memory Cafes are a fun and informal way to bring people together who might have some memory problems. They usually include some kind of activity or singing but people can participate as much or as little as they wish.

Local Memory Cafes take place at the Sportsman’s Inn in Ivybridge on alternate Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm (call Ivybridge Caring for more info on 07791 239357) and at the Woolwell Centre in Woolwell on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10.30am to 12pm (call 01752 695888 for more information).

Further support exists in the form of a shared reading group, which meets every Wednesday from 10.30am to 12pm, in the Beacon Room in Ivybridge Library.

The group is free to attend and open to everyone, with no commitment.

The session starts with a short story that is read aloud followed by discussion around the story’s topic, poems and singing.

The part of the brain that remembers songs, music and emotions is often the last to be affected by dementia and these groups can be a lot of fun for those living with the condition.

In the Yealmpton and Brixton area, the organisation Dementia Friendly Parishes Around the Yealm run an art and craft club on the first and third Mondays of the month, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and a shared reading group every Thursday from 10.30am to 12pm. For further information on these groups, please contact Maxine Kennedy on 07450 206312.

South Brent and District Caring has also been working hard over the last year to raise awareness of dementia issues in local villages, and all of their coffee mornings and lunch clubs are open to people with dementia. To find out more about the activities they have running please call 01364 700282.

Katie Reville, who facilitates the alliance, said: ‘The aim of this alliance is to ultimately enable people living with dementia to lead fulfilling and happy lives. Not everyone will want to attend a support group but for those that do, I would encourage them to use the contact numbers given above or to come along to Ivybridge Library on Thursday, May 19 between 10am and 3pm.’

The stall has been arranged by Barbara Gallagher, the local dementia support worker from the Alzheimer’s Society. Barbara will be joined by other members of the alliance.

To continue to raise awareness of the issues around dementia, the alliance plans to hold awareness-raising sessions in Woolwell and Sparkwell over the coming months and is planning a workshop aimed at local churches in late September.

The alliance is also going to offer training sessions for local volunteers in Ivybridge and Cornwood to help local organisations to be as dementia-friendly as possible.

The next meeting of the alliance is on Wednesday, June 1 from 2pm to 4pm in the Beacon Room in the Watermark.

Katie added: ‘If you are interested in supporting the work of the alliance and helping to spread the messages, please join us.’