ALZHEIMER’S Society took their information and advice to the people of Ammanford recently as its Dementia Community Roadshow stopped off at the town's Tesco store.
The touring information vehicle, which parked up on Friday, May 23 in Ammanford was manned by Alzheimer’s Society staff and volunteers who provided dozens of passers-by with information and advice about the condition which affects more than 6,000 people in West Wales. The event is part of a wider tour of Wales.
Carol Jones, Alzheimer’s Society Regional Operations Manager for Wales said "It is really exciting to be able to reach out to people who may otherwise not know where to turn for information and advice about dementia. The response in Ammanford and Carmarthen has been fantastic and we had a whole range of people come on board the vehicle today to either talk to our experts or simply pick up some information.
"We hope as many people as possible will take advantage of this vital free information service while it is travelling round Wales. We want to tackle stigma by raising awareness of the condition and by encouraging people who are worried about their memory to visit their GP or to get in touch with Alzheimer’s Society to find out more about the support that is available."
The Roadshow vehicle, funded by Tesco, is currently touring around before continuing round the country. Other stops along the way will be Llanelli and Swansea. People who are currently living with dementia, are worried about a friend or relatives memory, or just have questions about the condition are encouraged to drop by with no appointment necessary. In its previous tours of Wales the Dementia Community Roadshow reached over 10,000 people.
People can find out when the Dementia Community Roadshow will be visiting their local area by visiting alzheimers.org.uk/roadshow
Together, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland were Tesco Charity of the Year 2011.
The partnership has raised over £7.5million to help people live better with dementia, providing funding for the Dementia Community Roadshow, local dementia support professionals and new research.
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