Someone is recognised as having developed dementia every three minutes in Britain. Dementia not only affects older people, but it can also affect people in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. People with dementia feel cut off from their community, lose friendships, and face the condition alone. Dementia Action Week is all about supporting people with dementia and making communities dementia-friendly places.
The Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership (LMCRP) basted at Bentham station began working on its ‘Dementia and Community Rail’ project in 2016, with the Bentham Line being launched as Britain’s first dementia-friendly railway in 2018, with the naming and decorating one of Northern’s trains with forget-me-not logos, to carry the dementia-awareness message to all parts of the North.
The LMCRP team continue their work; to raise awareness of dementia with rail staff and passengers on the route, to develop dementia-friendly station environments, and to support those living with dementia, along with their careers and supporters, to enjoy journeys on the line and related activities.
Bentham and District Dementia-Friendly Community BDDFC was established in 2019 and supports those living with dementia and their carers in Bentham and the surrounding communities. This is largely done through lively breakfast club gatherings, with a host of activities, at Bentham fire station, fortnightly on Thursday mornings. visits and special events also take place.
Encouragingly, there are other organisations in the area also doing admirable work to support those with dementia, including Pioneer Projects, the High and Low Bentham lunch clubs, local businesses and community groups.
Both organisations will again be supporting Dementia Action Week, from 13th to 19th May, alongside local businesses and community groups. Please watch out for the blue and yellow informative window displays around town and give thought to how you might help those living with dementia in our area.
If you would like further details about BDDFC, the breakfast club and its activities please contact the Chairman, Jonathan Scott, at Bentham Medical Practice on 015242 61202.
For further details about the LMCRP, the Dementia and Community Rail initiative and the supported rail journeys, please contact the partnership on 015242 98940 or the.bentham.line@gmail.com
If anyone is interested in taking part in a dementia awareness session and becoming a dementia friend, please contact the LMCRP, as above, and we will make arrangements for our Dementia Friends Ambassador to lead a session in Bentham.
Gerald Townson
Chairman, LMCRP