A FREE workshop aimed at educating businesses on how to interact with customers with Alzheimer's is hoping to abolish the stigma around the disease.
The event is being held by Home Instead Senior Care and will take place tomorrow at 6pm at the Lace Mill, Wollaton Road, Beeston.
During the evening business owners will learn how to understand Alzheimer's and other degenerative brain conditions as well as how to handle challenging behaviours and encourage engagement.
Community liaison manager Gemma Poole, from Home Instead Senior Care, said: "Our mission is to make organisations and businesses in Beeston dementia friendly.
"We take a lot of our clients out to interact in the community but it can be hard.
"We want to engage with businesses about how to interact with people with dementia.
"We have found that people do get isolated and that there is still a stigma which we are trying to abolish.
"Dementia could strike anyone at any age and at any time so it is important to understand the needs of these people.
"Unfortunately there is a problem with people going into businesses and not getting treated in the most appropriate way. For a lot of people it is easier to ignore the person if they don't know how to communicate with them."
In Notts, more than 10,000 people suffer with dementia which is expected to rise significantly in the next 30 years as the population gets older.
Civil servant Debbie Spiteri, 53, of Sherwood added: "My mother, Daynel Cross, 76, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 18 months ago and since then we have had some problems while out in public.
"One of the worst instances was at the bank when she couldn't remember her PIN number and a big queue started to form.
"I quietly let the cashier know that she had Alzheimer's but they announced it to the whole bank which upset my mother and she became very stressed.
"I think a lot of the problems are down to complete ignorance.
"My mum is a client at Home Instead and a workshop like this could make all the difference and should be rolled out across the country."
There are currently 800,000 people with dementia in the UK.
Stephanie Wilkinson, Beeston Business Improvement District manager, added: "Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are a growing problem, and we're delighted that Gemma and her team at Home Instead Senior Care can offer this free resource to the people and businesses of Beeston.
"It's vitally important that we all learn more about this often misunderstood condition, and I'd urge everyone to take advantage of the workshop."
Those interested in attending can reserve a place by calling 0115 922 6116 or by simply turning up on the day.
