Over a year Appello’s monitoring staff manage more than 5 million calls. Some of these calls can be from those with dementia. These calls can be challenging and sometimes need to be handled differently to others.
At Appello we are Dementia Friends Champion’s, and we strive to make sure that our team are skilled in managing a call from someone with dementia. Our employees are trained to understand that calls from those with dementia need to be managed appropriately, for instance, they may need to provide further explanation to help them understand who we are, and why we are calling.
We deliver dementia workshops to help our staff understand what dementia actually is and how it affects individuals. These workshops are an opportunity for staff to share personal stories and gain an insight into how to support someone with dementia, not only at work but in their personal lives as well.
These workshops are run by Shane Blackley, Training and Development Leader at Appello, and a Dementia Champion. He commented: “My perception of dementia changed after I experienced first-hand what it can do to an individual. It is one of the hardest things to watch a family member or friend deteriorate before your eyes, and on occasions it is difficult to understand why you should visit someone when they are going to forget straight away. But even though they might forget the memory, they will not forget the feeling or emotion from that memory, which is so important.”
1 in 18 people over 65 have dementia in the UK and we understand the importance of changing people’s perceptions of dementia and helping others understand that those with dementia can live well if we all play our part to help where we can.
Become a Dementia Friend: https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/
For more information on how to get involved visit: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-action-week
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