Chislehurst is a thriving community filled with families, working individuals and also those who have retired. Chislehurst does, in fact, have the highest number of aged 65 and over registered at the Chislehurst Medical Practice out of all Bromley practices. The number of older people in the Bromley area is rising and health and social care provisions need to reflect the increase in need. This also means a higher risk of people potentially susceptible to dementia.
Anxious or agitated behaviour may occur in people with Dementia. That’s why we would love for everyone living in the borough to become a Dementia Friend. To have an awareness of what an individual might be feeling in certain situations, i.e. becoming confused of their surroundings, the noise of the traffic, changes to a new shop layout. Situations that we can usually adapt to but to someone with dementia this could become overwhelming
With that in mind, The Bromley Dementia Support Hub together with the Bromley Dementia Action Alliance (BDAA) would like to make Chislehurst ‘Dementia Friendly’ – which means that local businesses and the community are able to assist anyone that they come across who is confused, lost or needs some help.
People with dementia have the right to continue with their day to day activities and this means leaving their homes and playing their part in the community. If we, Chislehurst, as a whole are inclusive, this will ensure that those affected by dementia will not be confined to their homes, and why should they be?
How you can help:
If you are running a business in Chislehurst, you are able to request a free one-hour Dementia Friends session for yourself and staff from the Hub’s Community. During that session the team would be able to
- Help raise your staff’s awareness and understanding of dementia and the challenges that it brings.
- Assess your physical environment to make it more dementia friendly.
- Provide support for employees diagnosed with dementia and for those with caring responsibilities.
- Provide a ‘dementia friendly’ sticker in your shop window so your business becomes a safe place for someone to ask for assistance.
Once you and your staff have become Bromley Dementia Action Alliance members you will be entitled to place a sticker in your shop window to show that you are business who is ‘working toward a dementia friendly community’ so that your business becomes a safe place for someone to ask for assistance.
On 16th October – all businesses are coming together to find out how to be dementia friendly – this event, attended by the Mayor of Bromley, will take place at Crofton Halls, Orpington, and will provide invaluable advice on how to assist someone with dementia if they should come into your shop. The case will be made for why it makes good commercial sense to become a dementia-friendly business.
If you would like more details on this event, please do contact Nicola.fishman@bromleydementiahub.org.uk
To reserve your place:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dementia-means-business-tickets-49009958104
and use password BDAA
