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Becoming a dementia friendly organisation is no longer about satisfying some altruistic need or Community Social Responsibility policy. It is a matter of complying with equality legislation.

The number of people with dementia who are of working age is estimated to be nearly 50,000. Due to the difficulties in diagnosis it is possible that there are more. I think it is not a long way off before we have a case resulting from discriminatory attitudes towards employees with dementia.

The symptoms of dementia in younger people are the same but the impact can be more far reaching. Many will have more financial commitments, children and parental dependents. They will have future hopes and aspirations to fulfil before and after retirement.

Becoming a dementia friendly organisation promotes the empowerment and inclusion of employees living with dementia. It develops managers listening and empathy skills and support employees to access the right solutions and adjustments they may need. The process includes raising dementia awareness which is an impactful way to meet the equality and inclusion agenda of any reputable organisation. Training can ensure that all employees understand dementia diseases, the appropriate language and treatment used to talk about people with working age dementia and ultimately support then to feel positive about themselves.

There is a serious business case for recognising that people with working age dementia can continue to be productive and make a valuable contribution to their organisation for a long time. The right information, support and strategy will increase retention, reduced absenteeism, build greater employee loyalty. A compelling business case for becoming a dementia friendly organisation.

For more information about our Dementia Friendly Organisations programme, please visit: http://www.joco.gb.net/dementia-friendly-organisations/