Striving to be Dementia Friendly Community, City of Melrose Offers Free Dementia Friend Info Session

As the City of Melrose strives to be a Dementia friendly community, the Melrose Council on Aging and the Health and Human Services Department are teaming up to offer Melrose residents the opportunity to become a Dementia Friend through a free one-hour information session on Wednesday, February 15, from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Milano Center located at 201 West Foster Street in Melrose.

A Dementia Friend is someone who, through viewing a series of online videos or attending a live interactive session, learns about what it's like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action. From telling friends about the Dementia Friends program to visiting someone who is living with dementia, every action counts.

The one-hour information session will be led by local Dementia Friend Champions Rachael Cordella and Kara Showers, from the City’s Council on Aging and the Health and Human Services Department. Cordella is a Social Worker for Melrose residents of all ages and Showers is the City’s Prevention & Wellness Specialist.

During the session, residents will learn what dementia is, the five key messages about living with dementia, how it affects people, and how you can help a community member living with the disease. They will also receive helpful information on how to communicate and interact with people living with dementia.

Attendance is limited to 20 seats and those interested can RSVP to Kara Showers via email at kshowers@cityofmelrose.org or by calling (781) 979-4123.

Dementia Friends is a global movement developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom and is now underway in Massachusetts and across the United States. To learn more, visit https://dementiafriendsusa.org/or contact Beth Soltzberg at bsoltzberg@jfcsboston.org.