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In 2015 the Douglas Macmillan Hospice launched a project to become dementia friendly as we are supporting more patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of dementia. Staff undertook the Dementia Friends Champion training and to date we have over 300 dementia friends, staff and volunteers, throughout the hospice and retail outlets.
A cross-hospice working party is evaluating and adapting the hospice environment ensuring it is accessible to those who are living with dementia. This has led to further discussions and adaptations for all those who have a disability.
Our in-patient facilities and community teams have implemented a Pain Scale Tool to ensure those living with dementia, who are unable to communicate verbally, have their pain effectively managed.
The hospice is engaged with local and national forums to share best practice and to shape and support the local community in becoming dementia friendly.
Creating dementia friendly community corporate partners: In January 2016 we launched the opportunity for our corporate partners to engage with the hospice in an entirely new way. As a way of the hospice giving something back for their support we offered to deliver Dementia Friends training to local companies and their staff. We have sessions booked to create Dementia Friends in our community with Hanley Economic Building Society and other hospice corporate partners.
Case study: Stoke City Football Club Stoke City Football Club have supported the hospice for a number of years, they received the highest Corporate Award the hospice offers and became a Platinum Corporate Partner for contributions made throughout 2015. Since we launched the scheme to our corporate partners over 80 members of staff at the football club have become Dementia Friends. The club is now aiming to become one of the first Dementia friendly football clubs with the support of the Douglas Macmillan Hospice.
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