NEW dementia friends were created after The Bolton News hosted a free awareness session.

Myths and misconceptions were busted when members of the public attended our dementia friends workshop in support of our Donate £1 for Dementia campaign.

The hour-long course was held at the Triangle Community Methodist Church in New Church Road, Doffcocker.

One attendee, who asked not to be named, came along to the session because her husband was recently diagnosed with dementia.

She said: “I found the workshop very interesting.

“There is so much that I do not understand about dementia and because I had not had anyone that I knew suffering from dementia — the diagnosis scared me.

“What I learned has really helped — it is about all the little things. I am trying to understand dementia the best I can.”

Steve Williams, co-owner of Home Instead in Bolton, led the session last Wednesday.

He has trained more than 100 people in Bolton this year and became a dementia friends champion 12 months ago.

Mr Williams said: “It is great to now have some more people in Bolton dementia aware.

“They can take that information back to their families, friends and colleagues to help have a positive impact on our understanding of dementia.

“It was fantastic to support the Donate £1 for Dementia campaign.

“I think it is a great initiative and I will try to support it however I can.”

Andy Lee, charitable fundraiser at Bolton NHS Charitable Trust, was also on hand to explain our joint £200,000 appeal to create dementia-friendly wards at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Funding from the campaign will pay for special equipment allowing brighter or softer lighting at different times, and a 1960s-themed communal lounge for patients to sit and talk in.

Hospital staff plan to install dementia-friendly signs to help patients remember where their hospital bed is and how to get to the toilet.

Bathrooms will be fitted with different coloured toilet seats and handrails — as dementia sufferers can find it hard to distinguish between different white objects — and there will be memory prompting boxes and nostalgic pictures.

The hospital has £1.5 million available for refurbishments but a total of £1.7 million is needed.

Initially, complex care ward C4 will become a dementia-friendly environment with the space used as a prototype so other wards can be made dementia friendly when they come up for refurbishment.