Dementia is a hot topic
FRIENDLY firefighters in Oban have shown their support for Alzheimer’s as part of a new joint initiative.
Five regular watches and the team of retained firefighters from Oban became Dementia Friends after attending a course of onehour classes over the past few months.
Organised by former fire officer Duncan Litster, alongside Alzheimer Scotland’s dementia adviser Sue Pagan, the team learned five important key facts about dementia. They discovering what it is, what it isn’t and how everyone can make small changes which make a big difference to those with the condition.
Derek Wilson, fire station manager in Oban, said: ‘Working together with our community partners to achieve improved outcomes for the people we serve is incredibly important to all fire service personnel.
‘Firefighters at Oban have gained great insight into the impact dementia can have on daily living and how we can use this information to improve our interaction and response for people with dementia both at operational incidents and through our free Home Fire Safety Visit programme.’
Mr Wilson added: ‘We hope to ensure these skills are shared with more of our firefighters across Argyll and Bute for the benefit of our personnel and our communities.’
More than 80,000 people are affected by dementia in Scotland. Dementia Friends are part of a social action movement to increase awareness of dementia and address the stigma experienced by many living with the illness.
Ms Pagan said: ‘I am really grateful that Duncan promoted Dementia Friends to his colleagues and delighted that Derek supported the initiative and is keen to see all of the firefighters in Argyll and Bute become Dementia Friends, which I think would be a first for a Scottish council area.
‘The more people who are Dementia Friends, the more our community becomes a place where people with dementia and their families can live well.’