Romsey to become a dementia-friendly town

The town of Romsey is set to be deemed a dementia-friendly town. 

This initiative is intended to bolster awareness of the condition among enterprises in the Hampshire town.

According to the Romsey Advertiser, firms will be encouraged to enhance the quality of their customer service and their signage. Employees will also be given dementia awareness training.

Additionally, in a bid to combat the problem of those with the condition forgetting their passwords and pin numbers, banks will be advised to devise additional ways for such people to access their money. 

Business that are taking part in the scheme will display a dementia-friendly sticker.

The mental health charity Andover Mind is behind the scheme. The intention is to allow a greater number of those with the disease to continue living in their local community. 

Clare Kavanagh from the charity said: “Romsey is the first dementia-friendly market town in Hampshire. We are trying to deliver them all across the county, working with Hampshire County Council and the NHS."

The launch event will be happening on May 1st at the White Horse Hotel and Brasserie. Romsey will join Fareham and Lyndhurst. It will take place from 14:00 to 16:30 BST and is open to everyone. 

Town centre manager Mark Edgerley said he was delighted that Romsey was the first market town in the county to commit to being dementia-friendly. He spoke of his intention to ensure the environment continued to improve for both shoppers and visitors. 

Test Valley Borough Council is supporting the scheme and its dementia champion Tony Ward said it was "an excellent idea". 

"We should applaud those shops and business who have undertaken to get involved and train their staff, and encourage others to join it."

It is thought dementia affects approximately 800,000 people in the UK, with 18,500 of these living in Hampshire. 

Find out about dementia care and support services at Barchester care homes.