More than 1,000 Greene King employees have signed up to become Dementia Friends part of a network of volunteers to reach out to people affected by dementia.
The volunteers will learn more about the condition that affects more than 850,000 people in the UK, with Alzheimer’s being the most common type affecting 62% of those diagnosed. The Friends will learn ways help people living with dementia feel understood and included in their communities.
Rooney Anand, chief executive officer for Greene King said: “I am thrilled that so many of our employees have got behind the Dementia Friends initiative. Many of our people work in customer-facing roles, so I hope with the knowledge we have gained by becoming Dementia Friends we can give greater understanding and support to our customers that live with the disease.”
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society said: “We are delighted by the commitment Greene King have shown by creating 1,000 Dementia Friend employees in just a month. This year, 225,000 people will develop dementia, that’s one every three minutes. It is important that employers and employees rooted in local businesses are choosing to become Dementia Friends, so we can increase the understanding of the condition, reduce the stigma, and enable people with dementia to feel more confident within their local community.”
The Dementia Friends initiative aims to create a network of four million Dementia Friends by 2020 to help those affected by the condition live well for longer.
