Creating a dementia friendly workplace

This morning I was at the launch event for the ‘practical guide for employers’ produced by The Alzheimer’s Society. You can download a copy here.

It was a truly inspirational event and re-affirmed my strongly held belief that everyone should be given the opportunity to understand their risk of dementia and have that assessed.  That’s one of the main reasons why I’m working with Cambridge Cognition – to give people that very opportunity using readily accessible and scientifically validated assessments.

I was totally bowled over by Hilary Doxford when she told her story of not getting a proper diagnosis for seven years, yes seven years! Doctors kept putting  her problems down to depression without testing her symptoms properly.

When she finally got her diagnosis, she was relieved,  able to plan the rest of her working life and beyond.  At 53, she is still working three years on and continues to make a valuable contribution to her organisation. Her case study is on page 23.

How many Hilarys are there in the working age population?  We really have no idea but bearing in mind only 48% of people with dementia in the UK are diagnosed, it’s no small number.

That’s why we need the effective assessment tools from Cambridge Cognition and why employers are in such a strong position to help introduce them.

Identifying any memory problems early is one of the most important things we can all do to manage our future quality of life and that of those close to us.