In Australia next week is Dementia Awareness Week and around the world on 21st September its World Alzheimer’s Day.

Raising awareness of the disease and the life people lead with the condition will be important in helping our neighbourhoods to become more dementia friendly.

One of the major reasons people are having to go into residential care is that they can no longer live safely at home and the reason for this in many cases is that there is no-one to check on them, look in or have friendly word each day or even notice that they have not collected the post from the mailbox today.

How many neighbours do you know and could you rely on your neighbours if you had dementia and wanted to stay in your own home?

This week is a chance to make our towns and neighbourhoods more dementia friendly. No more fear of Alzheimer’s. Lets create understanding and a compassionate will to act.