A Kettering company has become one of the first businesses in the area to start working towards being a dementia-friendly organisation under the Corby Dementia Friendly Community scheme.
Telford Mann Pensions & Investments, which also has an office in Corby, says the move represents a commitment to spread the word about the Dementia Friends scheme and ensure as many staff as possible undertake the training and pass on the knowledge.
It also provides reassurance for the company’s clients and their loved ones that the firm has taken the time to understand dementia and how it affects their daily lives.
Kieron Brace, Senior Chartered Financial Planner at Telford Mann, is a founding member of the Corby Dementia Friendly Community Steering Group and has been instrumental in the company’s involvement in the scheme.
He said: “As financial planners we meet clients living with the effects of dementia within their family but increasingly we are all becoming touched by dementia in our daily lives.
“Helping to build a community who better understand dementia and who can help provide support so people can live well with the condition for as long as possible was something we as a firm, as well as I personally, really wanted to be involved with.
“We also want to spread the word about all the support which is available to those diagnosed and their loved ones.”
A dementia-friendly community is a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected, supported and confident they can contribute to community life.
The Telford Mann office is designed to be a dementia-friendly environment and the training allows the company to develop this theme to ensure it is a welcoming and relaxing place to visit.
“Businesses and organisations can make a big difference for people with dementia and their carers by making a commitment to become more dementia-friendly,” continued Kieron.
“Becoming a dementia-friendly business is not only a socially responsible step but can also bring economic benefits.
“But being a dementia-friendly business isn’t just about our working lives, it is about taking this knowledge and applying it more broadly.
“The more people we can spread the word to and the more Dementia Friend training sessions we can support, the better. We hope we can set the template for other towns to follow.”
The Ironstone Wellbeing Centre, which is based next door to Telford Mann, is also working towards becoming dementia friendly.
The NHS struggles to cope with aftercare once a dementia diagnosis is made and Telford Mann believes that knowing about local support groups who can offer advice and practical assistance, as well as creating a community for those diagnosed and their loved ones to meet, is vital.
Statistics show that less than half (47%) of people living with dementia feel a part of their community (Alzheimer’s Society, 2013), and 28% said they have given up even getting out of the house. One in three people born today will develop dementia.
For more information contact Telford Mann on 01536 462700
or visit the website www.telfordmann.co.uk
Leave a Reply