Two Nantwich organisations have joined forces to produce a guide to help local businesses become more dementia friendly.
The Dementia Friendly Nantwich Guide for Businesses supports local firms in accommodating visitors living with dementia.
It has been created by Dementia Friendly Nantwich, a local volunteer group of family members and different organisations, and Direct Access, a local disability accessibility consultancy.
It offers top tips, facts and figures as well as signposting to additional resources.
In Nantwich, 43.8% of residents are over fifty years of age.
And with 225,000 people in UK diagnosed each year and an ageing population, there is a strong business case for being accessible.
The guide highlights small steps businesses can take that do not require significant investment from clear signage to reducing noise levels and even simply engaging with the person.
People with dementia may lack confidence in travelling, communicating in noisy environments and become confused in unfamiliar surroundings.
Steve Dering, operations officer at Direct Access on Regent’s Park, said: “When businesses are dementia friendly, they benefit from being seen to be socially responsible.
“People feel reassured and part of the local community.
“They may spend more and will return again and again when they know somewhere that they are comfortable.”
Ben Selby, Chair of Creating Dementia Friendly Nantwich and owner of Nantwich’s Hospital Street based Home Care company, Right at Home, said: “It’s been brilliant to tab into local expertise to create this toolkit, which we hope will make becoming a dementia friendly business more straightforward than some business owners may think.”
The guide can be downloaded from: https://www.accessaudits.com/dementia-friendly-guide-for-nantwich-businesses/
