Island Roads has taken steps to understand the needs of those living with dementia and to learn how best to communicate with those within the community who live with the condition. People with dementia sometimes find it a challenge to communicate with contractors or people they come into contact with outside their everyday lives. Understanding instructions or advice is not always easy and those delivering messages sometimes lack understanding of the limitations dementia places on sufferers. Island Roads decided to do something about this by inviting Maggie Bennett, from the Alzheimer’s Café charity, into its Newport headquarters to speak to staff. Maggie spoke to a group of more than 30 Island Roads employees, many from the customer hub, about the physical and mental effects of dementia and how they can better interact with sufferers they come into contact with. Maggie’s visit was one of a series of sessions organised by Island Roads to help employees understand communication challenges faced by sections of the Isle of Wight community. Previously, Age UK IW, Isle Access and Autism Inclusion Matters are among groups to have spoken to Island Roads staff. Maggie said:
“Since 2009, Alzheimer Café Isle of Wight, has been delivering education about dementia. “We currently have five monthly cafes on the Island with two more to come on stream shortly. At these cafes we talk about the emotional and psychological effect of living with a dementia and the difficulties that arise from the effects that loss of memory and logical thinking abilities brings. “We have a rolling programme of talks with the aim of Educating, Engaging and Enabling people to live well with dementia. “I was able to talk to the team at Island Roads about our new project at Parklands in Cowes, which will be providing a community café and club for people with memory difficulties to stay for the day to engage with all sorts of activities and enable their carers to take some valuable respite time.”
An Island Roads spokesperson said:
“It was a fascinating talk by Maggie. “There was so much information about dementia that people perhaps do not know enough about and I think all the staff found it useful.” “The session will help us better understand the needs of this important section of our community and, equally, help us to engage better with them.”
Bravo island roads!
Could the council staff also be properly trained about the needs of alzheimer’s dementia patients?
There is a distinct lack of understanding in the council, bordering on arrogance.
Ignorance we can change.
Yes I think it’s lovely that they are teaching these people ! After all..they have to work with the council don’t they …
I imagine we could have staff trained and time spent on making life better for all the minorities if people ALL paid full council tax and paid ten times as much as we full payers do now.
But to what end? Anyone with severe disabilities can’t expect to have as normal a life as those more fortunate, and charities and family should be the ones to aid this poor suffers.
IF money was not a problem then yes, help everyone.
But if you haven’t noticed, the FEW full time working people as most are doing ‘a few hours’ then claiming tax credit to make up a high income, can no longer afford to fund the part time parents as well as all the growing minorities and disabled both mentally and physically.
End the flotsam and perhaps we could
You don’t have a family member with alzheimer’s do you?
Are you a carer for that person whilst holding down a full time job, paying full council tax, and struggling to survive one way and another, then being on the receiving end of the councils ignorance and bloody mindedness?
I’m right there sunshine, want to come help me?
Thought not, twat.
Sorry, yes he is. Not all are like that though. Some of us have already worked out that Alzheimer’s is genetic medical condition and sufferers are not minorities. He doesn’t care though, either way. To him, it always comes down to money. His.
Island roads need to learn about the needs of all locals, and not just ride roughshod over everyone!
Maybe they could also learn how to fill potholes
Shame they have not learnt how to Carry Out Roadworks.
That’s commendable but shouldn’t they learn how to fix roads and footpaths first.
They have obviously forgotten, did they know what they were doing in the
First place.
Useless B’stards
Surely the first thing they need to learn is how to fix roads properly. The whole firm seem clueless shove a bit of tarmac down stamp on it whack it with a shovel job sorted back in the van for a well deserved break. Muppets the whole lot of them.