TAVISTOCK'S bid to become one of the first 'dementia-friendly' towns in the country will be launched on Monday (December 17) with a special day to help raise people's awareness of the condition.

The occasion will also mark the inauguration of the Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance and will feature patron and keynote speaker Angela Rippon, a celebrated champion of those with dementia.

This free public event is open to everyone as the alliance aims to make Tavistock a place where people with the condition and their carers can feel comfortable and safe and lead as normal a life as they possible can.

It follows David Cameron's prime ministerial challenge on dementia this year when he pledged to increase the spending on research, address the quality of care, increase the understanding of dementia and make communities more dementia-friendly.

Angela Rippon, who is co chair of the Dementia Friendly Communities Committee and was the primary carer for her late mother, who suffered from vascular dementia, said a community-based approach had to be the way forward to help tackle what was one of the biggest social and medical challenges of the 21st Century.

Around 750,000 people in the UK have dementia — and this number is expected to double in the next 30 years.

Angela said:?'For too long dementia has been in the shadows, people are too afraid to talk about it. Dementia, in one way or another, affects one in three of the population so understanding the condition and providing support for both sufferers and carers is vitally important.

'So much good work is going on in communities up and down the country including in schools —Tavistock College in particular is one of my passions. It is one of 21 schools involved in a pilot scheme to increase dementia awareness and on Monday we will focus on all the good work that is being done and what help is available for dementia sufferers and their carers.

'I think it is absolutely terrific that Tavistock is on board and doing all these things to enable it to become a dementia-friendly community.'

Chair of the Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance Tony Parker said surveys had been carried out at the memory café in Tavistock to find out what people wanted.

'The main concerns are that people want to be able to find their way around and feel safe but not embarrassed and we are working with shops, businesses and churches to improve things such as signage, seating and create simple landmarks so people can navigate their way around.

'They also want to be able to continue what they have always done like getting on a bus and playing sport and feeling like they belong to the Tavistock community.

'There is a real stigma associated with dementia. Twenty years ago we referred to cancer as the Big C, now everyone talks about it. We need to talk about dementia in the same way and then people will feel less marginalised and more included in society.'

As well as Angela and Tony, other speakers at the event, which runs from 10.30am to 3.30pm in Tavistock Town Hall, will be June Wildman, chair of the Tavistock Memory Café, Stephen Pearson, consultant in older-adult psychiatry, Rachael Litherland, of Innovations in Dementia, and carer Alan Payne.

The day has been organised by the Okehampton and Tavistock branches of Devon Senior Voice, the voluntary forum for the over-50s, and supported by REPoD, the arm of Rotary dedicated to easing the problems of dementia, and Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance.

Light refreshments are available (donations welcome) and lunch will be provided for a small charge.

For more information, and to book a lunch, please contact Devon Senior Voice by emailing [email protected]">[email protected] or phone 01803 732678.

There is a possibility that disabled access at the town hall may be unavailable on the day. To check the situation, please ring 01803 732678 on the day before.