Local communities and individuals are at the core of creating a supportive and compassionate society for people with dementia and their loved ones. There’s a place for every community in the Understand Together campaign. If you are involved in community work relating to dementia or part of a local group and would like to get involved in Understand Together please get in touch with the campaign team.

How can your community get involved with Understand Together?

1. Do some free training

Watch the general awareness video above which is suitable for all types of groups such as community and voluntary groups, health and social care professionals, business, schools and colleges.

2. Tell your story

You could inspire other groups by telling them about your activities. Getting involved can mean sharing your stories, the work your group is doing and helping to promote Understand Together at a local level. We’ll help support you by supplying promotional material and highlighting your work. We can also help to link you with other individuals and groups working to make life better for people with dementia and their loved ones.

3. Find out about Dementia and Communities

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is supporting work in local communities.  This initiative focuses on improving the inclusion and quality of life of people with dementia and their families. The seven communities involved so far are located in Co Donegal, Galway city, Ballina/Killaloe in Co Clare, Mallow in Co Cork, Callan in Co Kilkenny, Cavan town and Co Wicklow. 

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland has developed a Dementia Friendly Communities Toolkit which contains a variety of key resources that will support communities to work towards becoming more dementia friendly. It also contains a number of information resources for various services, businesses, emergency response teams and people working in the areas of arts and leisure providing them with hints and tips for how they can support people with dementia.  Please click here to find out more.

Joining in with Understand Together will help make people more aware of dementia and help them understand dementia better. The majority of people in Ireland with dementia live in the community and working together we can improve their lives.

If you, your organisation or local group would like to get involved in the campaign please contact:

Cairín Conway
National Dementia Campaign Manager
HSE Communications Division,
Dr. Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin D08 W2A8

Tel: 01 635 2067

Email: cairin.conway@hse.ie

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