Funding for a million dementia volunteers

This seems as if it might be another back-of-the-envelope idea and £2.4 million isn't a very substantial sum of money. It's difficult to see what these dementia friends are going to be trained to do and don't many neighbours already help out?

Hear,hear, jane. I really don't want to be accosted by some well-meaning volunteer when I'm standing in front of the shelves in Waitrose looking vague and unfocused. The Alzheimer's Society spokeswoman on BBC just now suggested the volunteers would be trained to recognise the symptoms in strangers they come across so they can offer a helping hand, if, for example, they can't manage the cash machine. Hard to see how much help they could be if the problem is a forgotten PIN number.

I am not sure Jess.
I am all for more money for research, indeed Research into Ageing is one of the charities I donate to on a monthly basis.
But I'm not so sure about the Alzheimer's Society. I have a friend who worked for them as a volunteer for many years, and also know someone who be be benefited from their service - but then the local branch was closed on grounds of rationalisation or some such and people were left high and dry.
The blurb on the Dementia Friends website has an almost evangelical ring to it - they want dementia friends to 'sweep the country'.
I feel a bit suspicious that this might just be another waste of resources which might be better spent on improving existing services provided by occupational therapists and social workers.