Get involved
We believe our community-led approach to our work makes the About Dementia project unique. Everything we do is informed by the opinions of people with lived experience of dementia and many areas of our work have been influenced by their experiences.
In bringing these people together we’ve seen friendships blossom between people in similar situations who would not otherwise have crossed paths. We’ve seen first-hand the benefits this peer support can bring to people living with dementia and carers.
As a result we now host Coffee and Blether meet-ups – events where people affected by the disease can come together to share a cuppa and chat about anything and everything that takes their fancy. Events are for people living with dementia and unpaid carers. Dates for up and coming Coffee and Blether events can be found below. We hold both in-person and online events, be sure to check the location when you sign up.
Our Policy Drop-In is a forum for these people to meet and talk about wider dementia related issues in which they might like to see change. We set a new topic every month and open the floor to participants to hear their thoughts. Some of these opinions will influence our work but the personal benefits to attendees run deep. We have some people who have been taking part in these events since lockdown, and they tell us their confidence and self-value has increased dramatically since joining. These online meet-ups are also for people living with dementia and unpaid carers. Dates and topics can be found below.
Finally, for people who are politically engaged and actively want to drive change in the dementia world, we host Human Rights Working Groups. We often have guest speakers at these online events and encourage discussion around the guest’s topic of choice. Opinions discussed in these groups will be used by us to create official responses to policy proposals and Bills or to open up a new areas of focus for our work. By attending these events, participants are directly influencing improvements for people living with dementia. Events are split into seperate groups for people living with dementia and then unpaid carers. Details below.
Coffee and Blether
Tuesday 12th December, from 2pm to 4pm. Age Scotland office, 160 Causewayside, Edinburgh, EH9 1PR.
Following on from the success of our first in-person Coffee and Blether event, we are pleased to announce we will be holding a second in-person event.
To attend, email aboutdementia@agescotland.org.uk
We look forward to seeing you again.
Policy Drop-In
Our Policy Drop-In meetings take place every month and aim to not only keep you informed about developments in the dementia and policy landscape, but also to provide you with a platform to share your experiences of the disease and directly influence change.
Meetings have finished for 2023, but more dates will be announced soon for 2024. This page will be updated as soon as dates are available.
If you would like to join future meetings, email aboutdementia@agescotland.org.uk
Catch up with our past Policy Drop-In meetings:
Rare dementia themed meeting (October 2023) with guest Jill Walton, from Rare Dementia Support, and Chris, a woman who spoke about her experiences of rare dementia.
Scottish Human Rights Bill themed meeting (August 2023) with guest speaker Mhairi Snowden, director of Human Rights Consortium Scotland.
Human Rights Working Groups
Friday 1st December, 11am to 12pm. Online.
We're in the process of creating videos to reduce stigma around dementia diagnosis, influence good practice and to highlight the rights of people with dementia and unpaid carers. During this meeting we will be recapping some of the scenarios suggested at previous meetings where human rights were not met and there will be the opportunity to share new ideas.
This meeting is only for unpaid carers. A similar meeting for people living with dementia will take place in the New Year.
To join, email: aboutdementia@agescotland.org.uk