19.04.2024
This week we’re rolling out Dementia Friends awareness sessions to our employees to coincide with the start of Dementia Action Week from 17th – 23rd May.
Dementia Friends was launched in 2013 and has already trained millions of volunteers across the country.
We’ve been delivering these sessions to our customer-facing team since 2018 so they can support our most vulnerable members. The sessions have played a key role in our on-site training, which earned the coveted Institute of Customer Service’s (ICS) ServiceMark accreditation in the same year.
“We’re proud to offer our employees the opportunity to become a Dementia Friend in the coming months. The Alzheimer’s Society is our chosen corporate charity, and dementia is an issue that is very close to our heart,” said Sara Protheroe, our Chief Customer Officer.
Equipping our employees
Our Dementia Friends sessions will provide an overview of dementia as a condition and will enhance employees’ understanding of how it affects those who live with it. Member-facing employees also attend a further session which focuses on the practical guidance we can offer members and their families. All sessions will be delivered by three existing members of staff who are fully trained Dementia Friends champions.
“Given the onset of dementia often starts in later life, it's extremely important that the pensions industry has a strong understanding of the condition and knows how to deliver the best possible outcomes for those who live with it,” Sara added.
Surprising figures
Dementia has implications for the whole financial services sector. While people often think it primarily affects the elderly, of the 850,000 people currently living with the condition across the UK, two in every hundred people aged between 65 and 69 are diagnosed.
This is a key age for pension savers, as many will be making decisions about their retirement that will affect them and their families for years to come. It’s important that we're well equipped to help members who live with dementia achieve the best possible outcomes on pensions issues.
“We're delighted that the PPF, who are one of our valued corporate partners, are taking all their staff through the Dementia Friends training. People living with dementia have been hardest hit by the pandemic, with many people unable to see their loved ones for over a year,” said Rebecca Greenbank, Alzheimer’s Society Fundraiser for London and the South East.
“We really welcome this initiative and are delighted that it’s happening during Dementia Action Week, where we encourage everyone across the community to take action to support people living with or affected by dementia,” she continued.
Find out more:
Visit alzheimers.org.uk/DAW for more information this Dementia Action Week.
