April 28, 2024

Westfield parish to host information session on dementia

REGIONAL
Staff report

WESTFIELD – St. Mary Parish, 30 Bartlett St., in Westfield, will host a free information session entitled “Encountering Dementia At Home and In Your Community” from 2-3:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.

The presenter will be Mark Nutting, a trained volunteer from Dementia Friends Massachusetts. Dementia Friends is a global movement developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom and now underway in Massachusetts and across the United States.

The organization’s promotional material states: “You will become Dementia Friendly by attending this information/education session to recognize signs of dementia, learn key messages about living with dementia, and obtain some tips for communicating with active members of your community, or in your home, who are living with dementia… You’ll learn what dementia is, what it’s like to live with it, and how it differs from normal aging memory decline.”

Registration is appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. Registration can be completed by phone at (413)568-1127; or email to Angela Roy at aroy@stmsaints.org. More information about the session content can be obtained by emailing dementiasupport@marksuniverse.com.

To learn more about Dementia Friends, visit www.dementiafriendsma.org or contact Beth Soltzberg at bsoltzberg@jfcsboston.org.