ABSTRACT
Dementia poses one of the most important health and social challenges to our society now and in the future. If people are to seek help early in their dementia journey, be enabled to live an ordinary everyday life, feel valued and contribute as full citizens in society, then individuals and their communities need to understand dementia and know how they can make a difference to the lives of their citizens with the disease. The “dementia friendly community” social movement has emerged as one response to these challenges and is gaining momentum in Scotland, the wider United Kingdom and across the world. This chapter briefly explores who, what and where matters to people with dementia and how the answers to these questions provided the rationale behind the development of a dementia friendly community in Motherwell that informed further debate and growth. Definitions of dementia friendly communities are considered and how the power of conversation and social dialogue can create change. Developing dementia friendly communities can breathe life into policy and strategy and, as one element of a model of care, can create confident, capable and empowered communities that care for their fellow citizens living with dementia.
