Alzheimer's awareness week encouraging healthy eating

6 June 2003

Food Cop's celebrity chef Daniel Green will put healthy food on plates and on the agenda, as part of Alzheimer's Awareness Week, next month. 'Café Event' on Wednesday 9 July, focuses on how we can all eat healthily plus other practical steps to reduce risks for those living and working with dementia.

Health and social care professionals from the Royal Borough and Westminster City Council have come together to organise the event. Open to everyone living and working with dementia, Café Event also includes a concert supported by the charity 'Live Music Now' and gentle exercise sessions for body and brain.

It is just one experience in a weeklong programme of workshops and exhibitions. The week explores the risks associated with Alzheimer's and other dementias. It looks at ways to reduce the risks and challenges assumptions about dependency and exclusion.

Councilor Ritchie, Cabinet Member for Social Services and Health, said: " We have some great services in Kensington and Chelsea to support people with dementia. The Café Event is another fine example of the imagination and commitment of our health and social care professionals in raising the profile of dementia in the community."

The Café Event is being held at the on Wednesday 9 July, at Abbey Community Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, Westminster. For an invitation please contact the Dementia Development Team on 020 7598 4648 (Kensington and Chelsea residents) or 020 7641 7431 (Westminster residents).

For further information contact Press and Public Relations.

Notes for Editors: Mind your head is the theme for Alzheimer's Awareness Week® 2003, which runs from 6 - 12 July. The week will explore ways in which we can all try to reduce our risk of Alzheimer's and other dementias.

The Alzheimer's Society is the UK's leading care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers. Over 700,000 people in the UK have dementia. More than half have Alzheimer's disease. Dementia affects one in twenty people over the age of 65 years and four in twenty over the age of 80 years. Dementia also affects younger people, the Alzheimer's Society estimate that 18,500 people in the UK have dementia under the age of 65.

This event has been arranged with the support of Westminster Social and Community Services, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Social Services, Westminster Primary Care Trust, Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust, Central and North West London Mental Health Trust, Carers Network Westminster, KC Carers, Alzheimer's Society, For Dementia, City of Westminster Arts Council and Live Music Now.

For more information please contact the Dementia Development Team on 0207 598 4664 contact for the Alzheimer's Society