– We often notice it when they forget what they did a few minutes ago, and ask about the same things. Then you have to be helpful and friendly. Pharmacist Morten Lindboe meets people with dementia every day. – I am more observant and patient. Everyone benefits from learning: Using that extra minute so that they get extra help during the week. He is among several store employees who have now been trained by Sola municipality in how to treat customers who have the disease. – The course opens the eye to how many people have dementia, and what we can do to make it easier for customers, says Lindboe. Took all the flowers from the shop Anne Grethe Vasbø in Flyt AS, the business association in Sola, told about minor incidents, such as not finding the bank card. But also bigger things employees have dealt with when dealing with people with dementia. – A minimum pensioner would buy clothes for NOK 38,000. Another time, someone took all the flowers from a grocery store with the greatest self-confidence and went out. The course should equip employees to handle such incidents in a good way. Kurt Dyskeland says that the employees have benefited greatly from being trained in how to meet people with dementia in a dignified way. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news Wall to wall with the pharmacy is Coop Mega. There, too, the employees have been on a course. – I thought there was no need, because I have not experienced any situations myself. But then there were several employees who said “Yes, that’s it”, says Kurt Dyskeland, store manager at Coop Mega Sola. Sola municipality is one of 184 municipalities that are so-called dementia-friendly. Now even more employees in the service industry will be trained. – The employees have once again had to be more patient, listen and help as best they can. They have been more aware, says Dyskeland. – You can look for a signal Over 100,000 people in Norway have dementia today, and the number will probably double in the next 20 years, according to the National Association for Public Health. This is dementia Dementia is a collective term for several brain diseases that lead to cognitive impairment, loss of physical and mental function. The most common types are: Alzheimer’s disease Vascular dementia Frontal lobe dementia Dementia with Levy bodies What they have in common is that there is no medicine that can cure them, that they worsen and are fatal. The biggest risk factor for getting dementia is old age, but there are also young people with this disease. Today there are approximately 100,000 people with dementia in Norway, but researchers believe the number could double by 2050. The causes of dementia are unknown, but there is a lot of research into dementia all over the world. Sources: Helsenorge.no / Aldringoghelse.no / demenskartet.no – We know that it is a disease that is growing, and there are many relatives, so knowledge and information are extremely important, says Lise Løland, assistant nurse and leader of the Sola dementia association. She says that it is not easy to see if a person has dementia. – But you can look for signals, for example if they struggle to pay or if it’s the same thing again. After the course, you may be able to notice dementia and know what you can do. On the course, the participants get to see situations and how they can be resolved. More and more people are taking the course – The course is important for people with dementia to feel safe when they go to the store and to be greeted with respect, says Aina Ivesdal, dementia coordinator in Sola municipality. The course is a close collaboration with the service industry and the dementia association. – We want people with dementia to be able to live at home for as long as possible, live as independently as possible and be met in a good way with respect and safety in society, says Ivesdal. Aina Ivesdal, dementia coordinator in Sola municipality and Anne Grethe Vasbø, manager of Flyt AS, the business association in Sola. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news Vasbø in Flyt says that at the beginning it was difficult to get companies involved. Gradually, more people saw the value in the course. – It is important for the business world because we want to contribute to society becoming better. It must be safe to shop in Sola. So far, around 50 employees in the municipality have received the course, and there will be more. – I think it is a completely natural part of providing good service in a town centre. Store employees are very good. They realize that it is a growing problem, she says.
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184 are “dementia-friendly municipalities” – Sola trains store employees in meeting people in a dignified way – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
