Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and charity bosses are visiting the University of Salford’s Dementia Hub to find out more about the work being done to help people with the condition live better lives.
The Mayor will visit the centre on Wednesday 23rd May, alongside leading figures from Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Dementia UK, to meet people with dementia and their carers and to hear about research being carried out to make buildings and public spaces more dementia-friendly.
The hub, which opened last year, is committed to enhancing the lives of those living with dementia and has a unique approach, bringing together academics researching the condition with members of the local community.
It now provides around 90 activity sessions per month for people living with dementia and their carers – including everything from craft, gardening and music sessions to demonstrations of the latest dementia-friendly design and face-to-face discussions with researchers.
The visit is part of a series of events marking Dementia Action Week, the Alzheimer Society’s annual awareness campaign taking place on 21st-27th May, led by the University’s Salford Institute For Dementia.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We won’t have a 21st century NHS until it supports people with dementia as well as it supports people with cancer. We are still some miles away from that, but things are beginning to change. Earlier this year the World Health Organization recognised Greater Manchester as the UK’s first age-friendly city-region, which shows that we are going in the right direction.
“Devolution gives Greater Manchester a unique opportunity to do things differently. We can chart a path to a new integrated health and social care service that is fit for purpose, and capable of meeting the needs of a rapidly growing older population. Research centres like this one are vital to the success of these ambitions and will see Greater Manchester become a hub for dementia research.”
