Caremark’s Dementia Initiatives
Every member of the Caremark team is a Dementia Friend. We have joined this Alzheimer’s Society initiative to change the way people think, act and talk about dementia.
With a large number of our customers living with dementia it is very important for us as a service provider to ensure that our staff have a strong awareness of dementia. Our managing Director Bal is a Dementia Champion and provides Dementia Awareness Sessions to people within the community. She ensures that as part of their training all her staff are Dementia Friends and have undergone the Dementia Awareness Session.
Each staff member has pledged to actively follow an action that they are going to take going forward. The action can be as small or as big as you want it to be. Caremark management have pledged to create a Dementia Friends workforce with all our team being Dementia Friends. One of our Care and Support Workers has pledged to be more considerate when out in the community. Another one has pledged not use words such sufferers when referring to dementia and instead to say that a person is ‘living with’ dementia. It is important to see the person first before the dementia.
Together these small actions amount to a lot and together we will be able to bring about change and understanding to dementia.
The 5 key messages from the Alzheimer’s Society are:
1. Dementia is not a natural part of aging
2. Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain
3. Dementia is not just about losing your memory – it can affect thinking, communicating and doing everyday tasks
4. It is possible to live well with dementia
5. There’s more to a person than the dementia