WELCOMING THE DEMENTIA COMMUNITY AND THEIR FAMILIES -AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Dr. Carol Sargent, the Vice-Chair of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Dementia-Friendly Community, launched Sargent Group Consulting in March to support the travel, tourism and hospitality sector to welcome people living with dementia and their family carers into their establishments and provide them with high quality, excellent experiences.

Every 3 seconds somebody in the world is diagnosed with dementia. The current total is an estimated 55 million worldwide and at least another 18 million live in our community with undiagnosed dementia. Families bear the brunt of the burden in both a financial and times sense. Families in the UK pay ~£11 million a year, more than either health or social care! In a world where our health and social care systems are bursting at the seams there is an opportunity for the tourism and hospitality industry to make a difference to the dementia community and to their bottom line.

Dr. Sargent says the myths that persist around the ability of people with dementia to enjoy new experiences are unhelpful to both the dementia community and the hospitality industry as a whole and she is on a mission to change the narrative around the condition.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding around what it means to live with dementia,” says Carol. “The persistent myth that a meaningful and enjoyable life is effectively over once you are diagnosed is not only largely false, it’s also damaging to both the dementia community and industries such as hospitality, who actually have the ability to offer really valuable experiences to this part of the population but often don’t realise the potential.” 

Hospitality venues and holiday companies often assume they are not able to welcome and cater for this increasingly large and financially able part of society, says Carol, because they feel it either carries additional risk or is beyond their field of expertise. With the right education and guidance, however, the sector is extremely well-placed to provide superb experiences for this group, says Carol. “It’s all about education and support and making sure the right, nuanced advice is in place for a particular venue.”

To support Dementia Action Week, Carol is running free online workshops to help the travel and tourism industry welcome people living with dementia and their family carers into their establishments and provide them with high quality, excellent experiences.

The workshops will take place every morning during Dementia Action Week, 15th-19th May, 10am-11am and will continue till 5th June to support Scottish Dementia Awareness Week. Participants can sign up through the Sargent Group Consulting website: https://sargentgroup.consulting/. 

If you would like to know what local services, support and activities are available to support you or somebody you love who lives with dementia, please get in touch with your local Swindon Dementia Action Alliance by dropping an email to [email protected]