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FREE Dementia Awareness Training

It’s Time To Make Lancaster More Dementia Friendly

Lancaster BID is delighted to be working alongside local dementia champion, Gill Grattan, to offer FREE dementia awareness training to staff from any businesses within Lancaster City Centre. The sessions will take place on Monday 27th January.

In the UK, one person develops dementia every three minutes. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases. There are various types or causes of dementia and it is possible for someone to have a combination of these types, which can make an accurate diagnosis more difficult. It is now clear that there is no single cause of dementia but whatever the causes of the disease, the outcome is the same – progressive decline of brain function.

By 2021 it is predicted that over 1 Million people will be living with dementia in the UK and by 2030 75.6 Million people globally will have the disease, which is partly due to us living longer. The cost of dementia in the UK is around £1.6 Billion per year, largely due to carers. More than half of carers were employees who had to reduce their hours or give up their jobs to look after a relative or friend with dementia, which has a significant impact on business and the local economy.

As a response to the increased number of people suffering with the disease, cities around the world are creating communities that better help people with dementia go about their daily lives; there are over 200 of these in England and Wales.

Helping people with dementia remain independent and live at home for as long as possible is very important and being able to shop in their local communities plays a big part in this. There are so many important benefits to making your business more dementia friendly. Small changes include training staff to recognise and support people with cognitive decline, this could be helping someone struggling to pay or someone struggling to find what they need.

Being a dementia friendly business will also demonstrate your business’social responsibility and allow you to future proof your business. With the number of people with dementia in the UK expected to rise above 1 Million in the next 3 years, making small changes now means that you can anticipate the growing needs from customers and staff in the future.

Even with the number of people with dementia increasing, too many people feel excluded and face the disease alone. This year, Lancaster BID is working in collaboration with Gill Grattan, a local dementia champion, The Cumberland and The Borough, to bring you a free dementia awareness event. They all think it’s time to make Lancaster more dementia friendly!

This FREE awareness event will take place on Monday 27th January 2020, upstairs at The Borough located on Dalton Square. These sessions will be particularly useful to businesses and employees who have customer facing roles and all businesses are welcome to attend. A single business can have a significant impact locally.

Sessions are available at the following times:

  • 9.30- 10.45
  • 11-12.15pm
  • 1-2.15pm
  • 2.30-3.45pm

To book your FREE place, please contract Victoria Muir at Lancaster BID on 01524 590650 or email [email protected]

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