How to Help Customers with Dementia

Medical advances and improved living standards mean that we are living longer than ever before. Being healthy and active in older life means that many people are enjoying their retirement years more than ever. Pursuing hobbies, travelling and spending more time with friends and family sounds idyllic.

Unfortunately, extending the longevity of life also comes with an increased risk of health issues. In our ageing population, dementia is a condition that now affects over 850,000 people. Not all of these are of retirement age, however, one in every 14 adults over the age of 65 is living with dementia*.

How does Dementia Affect a Person’s Health?

Dementia is a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain. Gradually, the connections that enable us to remember, comprehend, recognise and communicate are broken. It means those living with dementia experience the world quite differently from those around them.

Memory loss is one of many signs that someone has developed dementia. They may also find it difficult to concentrate, hard to plan and get confused. They may lose interest in hobbies and social interactions. Confidence and ability in their skills can also decline.

Dementia Action Week

This week (16 – 22 May) is Dementia Action Week . I would like to take this opportunity to raise awareness of how your organisation can be more understanding of, and helpful towards, customers living with dementia.

With my vulnerable customer work, I have been fortunate to meet a wonderful Dementia Friends Ambassador, Benedicta Lasoye. She has been an enthusiastic champion of the cause, providing talks, training and more to local schools, businesses and organisations. Her work was central to Aylesbury being named a Dementia Friendly Town by the Alzheimer’s Society in 2017.

Dementia Friends offers organisations the opportunity to register for support and training to improve customer-facing and telephone communication services.

10 Steps to Improve Customer Service for those Living with Dementia

I would like to share 10 easy to implement steps that will improve the customer experience for many, including those living with dementia.

1. When you are greeting a customer, commit your focus to them. In-person, that means eye contact, a welcoming smile and a warm tone of voice. On the telephone, this means removing other distractions and a friendly greeting. If you know the customer’s name, use it.

2. Direct questions to the customer, even if they are with a relative, carer or another companion. They are the person who needs your products or services and your attention.

3. Ask one question at a time and actively listen to the answer. It may take the customer a bit of time to collect their thoughts, so be patient and wait.

4. Speak clearly and share the information they request. It can be helpful to offer printed information or write down/email the key points that you have discussed for later reference.

5. If the customer seems confused, assist them. This might be kindly repeating the question, giving an instruction on what to do next or offering help. If possible, empower them to undertake a task, rather than taking over and doing it for them.

7. Choice is a good thing, but multiple options can be overwhelming. If this appears to be the case, select two that you believe will best match the customer’s needs and allow them to make a decision.

8. Through the conversation, take time to check their understanding of important points. If they get muddled, be willing to calmly explain again.

9. End the conversation with an invitation for them to come back to you if they need any further assistance and again, use their name.

10. Remember to be respectful; those living with dementia have had professional careers, have achieved, have contributed to society and have cared for others. Any one of us could be in their shoes in the future.

With predictions that over a million people will be living with dementia by 2025, it makes sense for organisations, especially those with customers over the age of 65, to get dementia aware. A better understanding of the condition and small changes to customer service can make all the difference to those affected, as well as their families and carers.

* https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/about/

Further information: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/