Students as young as 12 have become Dementia Friends and pledged to raise awareness of the condition to others. 

One Voice  through Baiter Sehat and the Aviva Fund, created 279 Dementia Friends through students and staff at Pleckgate High School in Blackburn.

Head Girl Aliza Ebrahim said: “I knew dementia was a disease, my great-grandmother had dementia, but I didn’t know a lot about it and how it affects the lives of people.

“I learnt a lot about how to help people with dementia, how to talk to people and be generally nice.”
Deputy Head Girl Fatima Ali said: “I knew dementia affected people’s memory but I didn’t realise it affects emotions and feelings as well. It was very educational.”

The Dementia Friends Programme, designed by the Alzheimer’s Society, is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition. 

One Voice Blackburn has created a total of 1650 Dementia Friends in the last five years. It is looking to create 1000 new Dementia Friends by the end of the year in an initiative supported by the Aviva Fund. 
A Dementia Friend is somebody that learns about dementia so they can help their community. 

Dementia Friends help by raising awareness and understanding so that people living with dementia can continue to live in the way they want.  

Dementia Friends help people living with dementia by taking actions - from visiting someone you know with dementia to being more patient in a shop queue. 

Dementia Friends can also get involved with things like volunteering, campaigning or wearing a badge to raise awareness. 

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Dementia Friends Champion and Baiter Sehat (Better Health) Lead for One Voice Nazia Khan said: “It is so important to raise awareness and improve services for people with dementia. Schools are a great place to learn how to change the lives of people living with dementia.

"This training ensures young people can help people with dementia feel understood, valued and are able to contribute to society. We are fully committed to making our community a more dementia friendly generation and we encourage anybody who is interested to get involved.”

Vicky Shepherd, Chief Executive of Age UK Blackburn with Darwen, said: “As the number of people living with dementia continues to rise it is really important that we all become more aware of what it is like to live with dementia and how people can be supported.  

"Young people are vital in this, and it is really positive to hear of the fantastic work done by One Voice with Pleckgate School to create so many young dementia friends who will be able to share what they have learnt with their families and community.”