Who is a Dementia Friend?

Well, you could be one.

With just an hour of your time and a commitment to take a single action that will add to the happiness or comfort of someone living with dementia, you can become a Dementia Friend.

Dementia Friends Virginia is part of an expanding national network that educates people about dementia with an aim toward making our communities and businesses more friendly and supportive to the 150,000 mostly older Virginians living with this condition.

Aging Together (AT) is an umbrella organization working with 150 entities here in Rappahannock County to ensure that residents have the services and support they need as they age. One of their collaborators is our own Rapp at Home organization, which is joining with AT to promote a Dementia Friend event on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. at the

Rappahannock Library. Rapp at Home is a local, member-driven organization, its aim is to enable aging county residents to continue living happily and safely in their own homes.

This free, hour-long session will be led by George Worthington, the Dementia Services coordinator at Virginia’s Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Worthington is also a Dementia Friends Champion — more about that later.

While highlighting five, myth-busting messages about dementia, this informal event will also be fun and interactive. After attending the session, and armed with sound information about dementia, participants will decide if they want to become Dementia Friends.

This is done by simply committing to take a single, practical action — large or small — that can help someone living with dementia in their community. Even if attendees don’t decide to commit to an action at that time, they will benefit by taking away valuable information about a common health condition that may eventually affect one of their own friends or relatives.

Some attendees may want to go beyond simply becoming Dementia Friends. If so, they can learn about attending a day-long training session to become Dementia Friends Champions — like Worthington, the presenter for the January 23rd session here at the library.

As Dementia Friends Champions, they become qualified to offer similar informational sessions throughout Virginia, sharing accurate and useful information about living with dementia and promoting dementia-friendly businesses and attitudes in our communities. Google “Dementia Friends Virginia” for more information.

All things considered, attending a Dementia Friend session is a win for everyone.

The writer lives in Sperryville