Dementia: Understand Together June update

Communities:

• Bantry Dementia Alliance: Age Friendly Bantry and the Bantry Dementia Alliance launched a three year plan in June to continue to create a Dementia Inclusive Community in Bantry. The Alliance represents every sector of the business, social and community life of Bantry and is committed to increasing community awareness and including people living with dementia in all parts of local life. Building on their work in Bantry, the West Cork Dementia Project was also launched. This is funded by HSE South West and plans to create dementia inclusive environments in other towns in West Cork, beginning with Clonakilty. Memory cafes already exist in Clonakilty and Dunmanway along with Singing for the Brain groups in other towns.  You can listen to Evie Finlay, Chair of the Bantry dementia subgroup C103 Cork Today programme speaking on the importance of Dementia Inclusive Communities . https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/making-west-cork-a-dementia-inclusive-community/id1054337635?i=1000711163125

• Dementia Inclusive Listowel: Since late 2022, community members in Listowel have been working together to raise awareness for dementia and work with local organisations and businesses to take actions to support people with dementia and their families to stay involved and engaged. A local dementia alliance was formed, supported by the Tralee Dementia Interagency Group and the Dementia: Understand Together campaign, awareness events were held, sector specific training  was delivered with the roll out of the national dementia inclusive symbol. Listowel is one of several towns across the country who work with the campaign to create dementia inclusive communities and was featured on both the 6 and 9 o’clock RTE News on Sunday June 29^th, you can view the RTE online news article and watch the clip back in full at: www.rte.ie/news/2025/0629/1520900-listowel-dementia-town/

Dolores McElligott, Team Leader, Community Worker HSE South West was also interviewed on Radio Kerry about the partnership, you can read their article here: https://www.radiokerry.ie/news/north-kerry-community-becomes-one-of-irelands-first-dementia-inclusive-towns-441212

Irish Independent (The Kerryman): https://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerry/north-west-kerry-news/community-first-in-north-kerry-as-listowel-embraces-becoming-a-dementia-inclusive-town/a500944257.html

This is the link to the dementia inclusive town video which shows the commitment across all stakeholders to get involved Watch here

Partner Organisations:

• Parkrun Ireland: Parkrun have launched the parkrun Dementia Manual in partnership with the Dementia: Understand Together campaign. The manual reflects parkrun’s ongoing commitment to removing barriers to participation and promoting physical, social, and mental wellbeing for all. The partnership is a great example of the things we can all do to raise awareness for dementia and make our communities dementia inclusive. You can read about the launch here https://www.nenaghguardian.ie/2025/06/26/parkrun-ireland-launches-new-dementia-manual-in-partnership-with-hse/

You can order your own parkrun dementia manual through www.healthpromotion.ie (select dementia from the dropdown menu)

• Boots Ireland: In partnership with the Dementia: Understand Together campaign Boots Ireland hosted free Brain Health and Dementia Awareness events in Cork, Castlebar and Portlaoise. The one-hour workshop offered customers and community members the chance to hear from local health experts about dementia, how to support loved ones with dementia, and practical steps everyone can take to help keep their brain healthy. A member of the Irish Dementia Working Group was also there on the night to share their personal experience of living with dementia (in all three locations) joined by a member of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network (Portlaoise) and the dementia advisors from The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, and Western Alzheimer’s (Castlebar). The Mobile Information Unit travelled to Castlebar and Portlaoise to provide further information and support. https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/business/1822752/boots-to-host-dementia-awareness-event-in-portlaoise.html

• Transport: Iarnród Éireann continue to take actions to make their stations and booking service more accessible. In April members of the Irish Dementia Working Group presented to the frontline staff in Heuston station on dementia and statistics. You can read the latest accessibility update in the attached document.

• Sporting memories uses the power of sport to bring people together, including a person living with dementia and their family Sligo Rovers working with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland are hosting a sporting memories morning on July 23^rd at the showgrounds. For further information contact Jamie Murphy email: or call: 085 105 3319

To learn more about how you can work towards building a dementia inclusive community where you live, visit www.understandtogether.ie/get-involved or if you have activities and stories you would like us to share email