A free talk on living with dementia is being offered to all as part of a community story-telling project.

The talk is aimed at the person with dementia and their carers, family and friends.

Tavistock Area Support Service (TASS) Life Stories Project is hosting the talk from 1.30pm-3pm at the TASS HQ Anchorage Centre in Tavistock on Tuesday, January 20.

The life stories project records the stories of older people by chatting to them and compiling them for personal or public consumption.

An important aspect is collating the experiences of those with dementia, this is the Preserving Precious Memories project. It is a two-year project run by TASS and funded by the National Lottery.

Will Hay, of the life stories project, said: “The life stories project is a prestigious project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

“This talk represents an opportunity for people to learn about dementia and what it means for the person her or himself and their families who live with the condition.

“The project is deeply involved in recording the life stories of people with dementia together with creating a dementia-friendly community where people who live with dementia feel part of society rather than apart from it.”

The precious memories project is designed to save the memories of people with dementia, which might otherwise be lost.

Asking people living with dementia to recall their past stimulates them, enhances their self-worth and reinforces a sense of purpose, creates new friends and enables them to live as well as possible.

The speaker is Amanda Bowen, dementia coordinator for Tavistock Dementia Alliance.

She will define dementia, how it is perceived and how to reduce the risk of dementia.

Attendees will learn about protecting the rights of those with dementia and their family. The talk will advise on accessing support and how to live with dementia. A Q&A session will follow.