WORCESTERSHIRE volunteers have gained a better understanding of dementia follow a free Dementia Friends session.

A session was organised at Sanctuary Care home Juniper House, in St John's earlier this March, providing an insight into what life is like caring for a loved one living with dementia.

The Dementia Friends initiative, run by the Alzheimer’s Society, sees volunteers learn and appreciate the small things they can do, within their community or in their future jobs, that can make a huge difference to the lives of people living with dementia.

Sanctuary Care home’s customer relations manager Virginia Peachey, who is a dementia champion and led the session, said: “So many people live with dementia and for some reason there is sometimes a real stigma around the subject - Sanctuary Care wants to quash this.

“Dementia should be talked about and understanding should be shared and I’m proud we are doing this.”

Volunteer Maggie Ridlington said: “I didn’t realise that there were so many things that I didn’t know about dementia before attending the session”.

The next Dementia Friends session will be taking place at Sanctuary Care’s Ravenhurst residential care home in Lickhill Road North, Stourport-on-Severn, on Wednesday, March 22, at 6.30pm.