Throughout August, many of our franchise offices have given people in their community the opportunity to experience what it’s like to live with dementia, helping them to understand some of the challenges they face.
Working alongside our partners Training2Care the dementia tour bus branded for Home Instead has been on a tour of franchise offices across the UK, educating people about dementia. Our franchise teams have hosted events where they invite people to come along and undergo the experience. Several VIP visitors have attended some of the events including an MP, it has been a huge eyeopener and helped make communities more dementia aware.
Attendees wear goggles, headphones and spiky insoles and get a glimpse of the sounds, sights and feelings common for people living with the condition. It doesn’t take long to realise how disorientating it can be to live with dementia, and how difficult it must be to carry out daily tasks.
We’re delighted to see the dementia tour bus featured in several media outlets, such as the BBC. A reporter at the Liverpool Echo visited and experienced the bus and candidly wrote about the experience, saying he found it tough.
For many years, our franchises offices have shown some impressive creativity when raising awareness of dementia. They have hosted events, educated workplaces, and one even partnered with a football club to make a match more accommodating for people with the condition. We’re confident that our dementia tour bus has helped make communities more dementia aware.