LAST Saturday’s article in The Press about the Alzheimer’s Society’s event in York last week to mark Dementia Awareness Week at All Saint’s Pavement serves to highlight the opportunity and responsibility we all have to enable people in our community to live well with dementia.

Living well with dementia is possible, especially where that aspiration is supported by communities that have an understanding of dementia, thanks to initiatives which raise public awareness such as Dementia Friends.

It is also about giving people the opportunity to engage in activities and experiences that enhance their quality of life.

We were pleased to have been able to showcase some of those activities across the York area in Dementia Awareness Week.

York and Selby Alzheimer’s Society would like to thank everyone who took part in and enjoyed this very successful event It will be of no surprise to learn the society puts such an emphasis on initiatives that enable people with dementia to live well, such as individual support, singing for the brain groups, boccia – a form of seated bowls – and dementia cafés.

But we want to do lots more to meet the needs of local people by working collaboratively with our public, private and voluntary sector colleagues and not least the local community to ensure that people can and do live well with dementia.

Anyone who would like to know more about our work or access our services should phone 01904 567701.

Further information can be found at dementiafriends.org.uk

Gail Browne, Operations Manager, North Yorkshire Alzheimer’s Society Innovation Way, Heslington, York