1. ‘Can I help you’ and a friendly smile goes a long way to put people at ease.
2. Be patient – give people time
3. Be clear – communocate clearly, use gestures and props to help, find a quiet place to go.
4. Don’t make assumptions about what someone may want or need – be guided by the individual.
5. Talk about demntia and remember the carer – you will be helping to reduce the stigma around dementia.
Looking at this list I think it’s clear that a truly dementia friendly Reading would be a great place to live for everyone.
I hope we can get some real action and momentum. My personal pledge is to go through the dementia friend training next month.
