On 1^st April I attended a training session organised by the Alzheimer’s Society to become a Dementia Friend. The Dementia Friends programme is an initiative that aims to improve people’s understanding of dementia and teach them how small things they can do that can make a difference to people living with the condition. The programme aims to train a million people by next year, to help make Britain more dementia-friendly, end the stigma surrounding the condition and improve the lives of more than half a million people living with dementia in our country.

Jeremy Hughes, the Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society and Natalie Rodriguez, one of 4,500 Dementia Champions carried out a number of exercises which helped me understand the way dementia impacts on people’s memory and emotions, and how it affects their everyday lives. I would encourage my constituents to become Dementia Friends too – if you would like to take part in a session please go to dementiafriends.org.uk to find out more.