A NEW ground-breaking meeting centre service for people living with dementia in Droitwich is opening its doors today, providing innovative support, activities and services.

The centre, which is opening in the Community Hall on Heritage Way, is hoping to make Droitwich a dementia friendly community as well as raising awareness of the disease.

It will offer information sessions on a range of topics from different types of dementia, support services, coping with different behaviours, medication, ethics and the law.

The first session will include an introduction to dementia and the meeting centre’s services, and will be led by Professor Dawn Brooker, who is director of the University of Worcester’s Association for Dementia Studies.

Gill Read, services manager for the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are delighted that the meeting centre is coming to fruition after many months of planning. It is such an exciting project which we hope will have a positive impact on the whole community in terms of offering a support service to people living with dementia whilst also providing a focus for Droitwich Spa to develop into a dementia friendly community.

“People in Droitwich have been wonderfully supportive of the meeting centre to date and we look forward to welcoming members of the public to our information sessions in order to find out more about dementia and what support is available to be able to live well with dementia.

“This will help reduce the stigma and breakdown any barriers. In turn we also hope it will encourage local people to become much needed volunteers at the meeting centre. Our first information session is taking place on 5 October from 7pm until 9pm at Droitwich Spa Community Hall.”

The meeting centre is the first in the country, and opens in Droitwich following extensive consultation with meeting centres across Europe including those in the Netherlands, Italy and Wroclav, in Poland, where Alois Alzheimer was appointed Professor of Psychiatry 100 years ago.

An Initiative Group was set up to help plan the delivery of the meeting centre service, involving a range of organisations including Droitwich Spa Older People’s Forum.

Jill Edwards from the Forum, added: “This is an excellent facility, central and very close to all the bus stops”.

Vice chair Sheila Neary, added: “We are very pleased that Droitwich Spa has been chosen for this important project. We hope that all residents will give it their support.”

There are still places available for people living with dementia and their carers to attend the meeting centre service. Anyone interested in hearing more about the meeting centre, and whether they or a family member would be eligible to attend, should contact Sam Arnold at sam.arnold@alzheimers.org.uk or call 01905 621887.

To read more about the meeting centre, visit droitwichspameetingcentre.wordpress.com.

For information on local services and support currently delivered by Alzheimers Society in the Worcestershire, email worcestershire@alzheimers.org.uk or call 01905 621868.

For more information on the Association for the Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester, visit worc.ac.uk/dementia, write to dementia@worc.ac.uk, or call 01905 542431.