Tommy talks about the importance of dementia friendly communities..

Hi, it’s Tommy reporting. I’d like to talk to you about breaking down boundaries and working in partnership to create dementia inclusive societies.

Dementia inclusive societies must include everyone regardless of religion, race or creed. Dementia does not discriminate. It doesn’t care if you’re rich, poor, black or white. Sooner or later, dementia will knock on your door. Whether it comes for you, your family, your friends or your neighbours it will affect you in one form or another.

Having dementia is bad enough without people treating you differently. When you are given a diagnosis of dementia you hold out both hands. The one hand they give you a diagnosis of dementia and in the other hand they give you a superpower. That super power is the power to become being invisible because when I was in the crowded room as soon as I told people I had Alzheimers, they would talk about me, over me, around me but never to me. I became invisible. Now think of that and then add in society’s prejudice against people that are different from what some people in society perceive as the norm, gay,lesbian,transgender, bi-sexual and the stigma can be doubled.

People are afraid of dementia because they don’t understand it but for years societies have ignored it maybe in the hope that it if you keep it hidden will go away but dementia is not going away and at a stage that society can no longer ignore it. We need to be moving away from the concept of protecting the person from the diagnosis because nothing can be done. Everyone of my peers should have the right to live in a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported. If we’re given that support we will gain the confidence we need to contribute to community life . End of report.