Dementia friendly project commended
A PROJECT to support and empower people living with dementia has been commended by members of Inverclyde Council.
At a meeting of the council on Thursday 28 September 2023, councillors unanimously approved a request from Provost Drew McKenzie to acknowledge the local Dementia Friendly and Enabled Communities project funded by Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and delivered by Your Voice.
As well as celebrating the work of the project, the aim of the request is to raise awareness of dementia and encourage individuals, groups and businesses to get involved and become dementia friendly.
Provost McKenzie said: “Inverclyde is a caring and compassionate place and very much a dementia friendly place and that is in no small part thanks to the efforts of council/HSCP services working closely with partner organisations like Your Voice to raise awareness of this important issue and ensure the appropriate support and training is available.
“However, more can always be done and we all have a responsibility, individually and collectively, to learn about the challenges facing people living with dementia and their families and do all we can to support them.
“I’m grateful for fellow councillors for their ongoing support for this excellent initiative and for their unanimous support for this request.”
The full text of the request is as follows:
Funded by Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership and delivered by Your Voice, the Dementia Friendly & Enabled Communities project began in November 2021.
Through the delivery of this initiative, Your Voice are working to empower the development of Inverclyde as a community where people impacted by dementia are supported, respected and empowered to remain active.
Your Voice has over 30 local assets already signed up to the initiative, and having support from the Council will help to emphasise the important message that Inverclyde Cares; demonstrating the community-wide commitment to work towards a Dementia Friendly Inverclyde.
People impacted by dementia have shared with Your Voice the importance of being surrounded by a community that is aware and understanding, and the positive impact that this can have on their daily lives.
Ultimately, a community that is aware is a community that is empowered to challenge stigma by turning understanding into action and social change.
The Council is asked to declare its support for this project, and to encourage more citizens, community groups and organisations across Inverclyde to become involved and support this important initiative.
The full council meeting is available to watch on the Inverclyde Council YouTube channel and associated papers are on the council website via links on the Other Websites section of this page.