Borders Food Buddies and Outside the Box came to the Scottish Parliament to see Rachael Hamilton MSP and discuss their work in the Scottish Borders that helps those living with dementia.
Borders Food Buddies discussed their work that develops peer support for those in the Scottish Borders living with dementia and their carers around food and keeping well.
Rachael Hamilton MSP also discussed her campaign that aims to see a register of dementia-friendly tourist destinations created to help those living with dementia and boost the sector.
It would enable attractions in Scotland to become accredited sites for people with conditions like Alzheimer’s, as well as their carers.
And with an estimated 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, the move could boost visitor numbers for a range of businesses.
Borders Food Buddies travels to tourism sites and talks to the adjoining cafes and restaurants to discuss ways to make them more dementia-friendly. The Borders group has launched a Food Buddies Days Out Survey which looks for input into the future publication of a booklet that will provide hints and tips to help older people and people living with dementia enjoy a day out.
The MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire has lodged a motion praising the work done by Borders Food Buddies in the Scottish Borders.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said: "It was great to meet Outside the Box and Borders Food Buddies and hear about their work in the Scottish Borders and support they provide those living with dementia.
"The work done by Borders Food Buddies is crucial if we are to see more places in the Scottish Borders become dementia friendly.
"I hope that the work done by Borders Food Buddies, supported by Outside the Box, is taken up across Scotland and we see Scotland’s tourism sites become dementia-friendly. I now hope that other MSPs support my motion and we have a debate on just how to do that."
Borders Food Buddies said: "We are delighted that Rachael is supporting Food Buddies and using her role as an MSP to help us spread the message that people living with dementia and their families can have opportunities and support from their communities when they are out and about across Scottish Borders.
"We are looking forward to working with Rachael, other MSPs along and other organisations to build more dementia- friendly communities across Scotland."
ENDS
Notes to editor:
Motion text:
Title: Borders Food Buddies
Motion Text:
That the Parliament welcomes the work of Borders Food Buddies, which is supported by the Life Changes Trust, the Big Lottery Fund and Outside the Box, and aims to develop peer support for people who are living with dementia, and their carers, regarding food, keeping well, cooking and both eating out and eating in; acknowledges that the food buddies holds group activities that bring people together and provide support on how to adapt to new needs; welcomes its work to raise further awareness by showing the benefits of such support through the use of recipe books and sharing suggestions and by raising awareness in shops and among food producers and retailors; notes the Food Buddies Days Out Survey, which looks for input into the future publication of a booklet that will provide hints and tips to help older people and people with dementia enjoy a day out; understands that 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia in the UK, and notes the views that efforts to make areas more dementia-friendly, including places such as tourism sites, should be encouraged and that the work of groups such as Borders Food Buddies are replicated across Scotland.