Irvinestown is set to become a dementia friendly town following the annual general meeting of Irvinestown Community Partnership, where members agreed that shop keepers will be the first to receive specialised dementia friendly training from the Alzheimer’s Society.

The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Communities programme facilitates the creation of dementia-friendly communities across the UK; where everyone from governments and health boards to the local corner shop and hairdresser, share part of the responsibility for ensuring that people with dementia feel understood, valued and able to contribute to their community.

Regional co-ordinator for the of Dementia Friendly Communities, Julie Morton attended the AGM in Irvinestown. She commented that the large attendance at the meeting illustrated that “the town was already half way there” and “it only remained to focus on the type of model the town wanted to follow.”

A spokeswoman for Irvinestown Community Partnership explained that the group wants to emulate the success of Belcoo Pharmacy, which recently won a Northern Ireland Dementia Friendly Award from the Alzheimer’s Society for the work it has done to help customers with dementia.

Irvinestown’s shop keepers can expect to be trained in issues such as spotting the early signs of dementia in customers who are not yet diagnosed, how the progression of dementia is unique to the individual, and how help from various organisations can help people to continue to live well within the community.
The spokeswoman said young people will then receive dementia training during the Arc Healthy Living Centre’s annual summer scheme programme.

“We want to be intergenerational and ensure the whole town is tolerant of people with memory problems and dementia – that’s not just old people, dementia can affect younger people too,” said the spokeswoman.
Former Duke of Westminster PE teacher Seamus McCusker spoke candidly to the AGM about living with dementia, saying: “Dementia seems to be the hidden disease that nobody wants to talk about.”
He explained that he was diagnosed two years ago and stated: “My lifestyle has not changed. I run with the North Fermanagh Fitness Club every Sunday at 8am. I told people from the start that I had memory problems and they were very understanding.”

Mr. McCusker also attends spinning class, enjoys gardening, housework and is a member of two choirs.
“The medics agree that this is very good for me to continue living my life just as I did before I was diagnosed,” he said.
Mr. McCusker outlined two local services that he finds very helpful: the Dementia NI group based in The Arc Healthy Living Centre and the memory afternoon in the Belmore Court Hotel in Enniskillen run by the Alzheimer’s Society.

He concluded: “I would encourage everyone who thinks that they have memory problems to go as soon as possible to get a diagnosis so they can avail of the support that is out there and hopefully they will maintain their independence for a longer period, just like me.”
UUP MLA Rosemary Barton attended the meeting and commented: “I was delighted to be able to attend the Irvinestown AGM and to listen to my former teaching colleague Seamus McCusker address the meeting and encourage Irvinestown to take the initial steps towards becoming a dementia-friendly community.”

She added: “As our population ages, more people living with dementia are living in our communities and it is vital that we take steps to ensure they can support people with dementia and their carers. 
“People with dementia can be supported to feel included and respected in this stage of their life and it is crucial that we get to grips with these issues now. 

“I commend the Irvinestown Community Partnership for their forward-thinking plans in this regard.”