The Douglas County Caregiver Coalition is offering free Dementia Friendly Business training to stakeholders of the Superior Business Improvement District.  Several members of the Caregiver Coalition have been trained by the Alzheimer’s Association to provide this education.

Why Become A Dementia Friendly Business?:
More and more businesses are beginning to respond to the impact of dementia on both customers and employees. Customer service and human resource strategies have begun to address the questions of how to meet the needs of customers with dementia and their care partners, as well as the needs of employees who are caring for someone with the disease.

  • With 70-90% of people with dementia living at home, they and their family care partners will choose businesses that are easy to navigate and that have helpful, aware staff.
  • Magnitude: 15 million people care for someone with Alzheimer’s or other dementia and 6.6 million of those people are employed.
  • Lost productivity and time off costs (i.e. replacing caregiving employees, workday interruptions, absenteeism, and shifts from full-time to part-time work) are estimated to be as high as $34 billion annually.
  • Businesses that support their caregiving employees are not just benevolent – they are smart: every $1 companies spend on eldercare support reaps a $3 to $14 return.
  • Dementia friendly business is good business that will help retain existing customers and employees and attract new ones.
  • Your business will be promoted via the Dementia Friendly Superior Facebook page after your training is completed.

To Become A Dementia Friendly Business:

  • Employees complete 30-45 minute training scheduled on-site and at your convenience.
  • Training is free and includes recognizing signs/symptoms of dementia, how to communicate, is your environment dementia friendly, and knowledge of local resources.
  • Designate a contact person to be the liaison between your business and the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). The liaison will be the contact person the ADRC uses to follow up regarding any additional training needs and to share dementia related information.
  • Include the free, 20 minute online overview of dementia for community members as part of new employee orientation:
    https://wss.ccdet.uwosh.edu/stc/dhsdementia/psciis.dll?linkid=339455&mainmenu=DHSDEMENTIA&top_frame=1
  • Display the purple “Dementia Friendly Decal” and the certificate of completion for your business.

For more information, please contact the Aging and Disability Resource Center at [email protected] or 715-395-1234.

 

About the Douglas County Caregiver Coalition

The mission of the Douglas County Caregiver Coalition is to recognize all caregivers of older adults and empower them through support, education, advocacy, and awareness of community services.