PORTHMADOG is the only town in Gwynedd to have reached the ‘Working Towards a Dementia Friendly Community’ standard, according to Gwynedd Council.

Gwynedd Council is working towards a national standard which they believe will make the county a better place for those living with dementia by establishing more dementia friendly communities and getting more people to sign up to be dementia friends.

Dementia will affect one in every 14 people over 65 years of age and there are 1,992 people diagnosed with the condition currently living in Gwynedd – the second highest number for the north Wales counties.

In the run up to National Dementia Week, 16-22 May, a session was held to raise awareness of how communities can make their areas better for those living with the condition. Those taking part heard how to reach the standard set by the Alzheimer’s Society.

So far, Porthmadog is the only town in Gwynedd to have reached the ‘Working Towards a Dementia Friendly Community’ standard and community leaders heard how other Gwynedd towns and villages could reach it.

Leading one of the sessions during the day, Emma Quaeck who works for the Health Gwynedd initiative said: “The aim of the session was to learn about what causes dementia, its different affects, the signs we can all look out for and how we can break down the stigma associated with it. As we have more older people, it’s going to become more of an issue for us all.”

See the full story in this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor edition of the Cambrian News