The Prama Foundation is gratfeul to Westhill Endowment for its donation of £4,000 to the Dementia Friendly Church's project.

By increasing peoples understanding of dementia, making some small changes to the way we do and say things, and changes to the physical environment, we can make a real difference for those people with dementia and their carers. If we are to love and support someone with dementia, a little bit of understanding and some tools can make a huge difference to their life.

This project has been put together as part of a strategic approach to help develop Dementia Friendly Churches across the UK by the Prama Foundation.

We have developed a resource, by researching existing tools in use across churches, where some dementia friendly work has already been carried out. We have participated in a research project with Bournemouth University - looking at environment influences on people with dementia. We have also continued developing, with permission, some leading work carried out for Alzheimer’s Australia by a team led by Professor Richard Fleming and Kirsty A. Bennett and a team of people from the University of Wollongong, including people with dementia, their carers, town planners, architects, graphics designers, psychologist, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and community development officers.

We have also worked with people in Dorset with dementia and their carers. We have had input from the leaders of the memory lane groups Prama Life (charity number 1172716) runs, their care support workers and from both the dementia friends and dementia champions.

 As the tools were developed, we began a pilot within local churches across Dorset to refine and develop the tools, to ensure that they are deliverable in every church.

 Thanks to the funding from Westhill, we are now able to help churches across Dorset to become Dementia Friendly. We shall be helping church leaders understand dementia, what a dementia friendly church looks and feels like, and provide the tools and resources needed in order to support this transformation.

 We will also audit the buildings to ensure that they are dementia friendly and make recommendations in order to make them friendlier to those with people dementia and their carers.

 We will offer to deliver Dementia Friends awareness sessions to church leaders and group/ ministry teams.

Our project and resources have been endorsed by the Bishop Of Sherborne.

Website: https://www.dementiafriendlychurch.org.uk/

Video: Tackling Dementia in Church with Prama Foundation’s Andy Gilbert on Christian Radio

 https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Weekday/Inspirational-Breakfast/Interviews/Tackling-Dementia-in-Church-with-Prama-Foundation-s-Andy-Gilbert

TBN UK meets Andy Gilbert - https://vod.tbnuk.org/watch/tbn-meets/tbn-meets-andy-gilbert