How to support visitors with dementia

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is an umbrella term for a range of symptoms of brain disease. These symptoms, which include memory loss, confusion and personality changes, are progressive. Most people with dementia are aged 65 and over, but it can affect people of any age as well as any gender and ethnicity.

People with dementia lack confidence when visiting new and/or busy places, such as visitor attractions. Communication, at visitor centres and information desks for example, can be difficult and confusing. Navigation can be tricky as people with dementia can get lost more easily. Continence can be an issue so there are often concerns around locating and using the toilets. There may be mobility issues too.

Why is it important for your visitor attraction to support visitors with dementia?

Your visitors, your attraction and your staff can all benefit from increasing the support you offer to people with dementia.

Access to safe and stress-free days out for people with dementia can help them to remain independent for longer. It promotes physical and mental wellbeing, which of course has a positive knock-on effect on their friends, families and carers. Plus, the improvements in accessibility and inclusivity made by your attraction will be beneficial to other visitors with disabilities.

Helping visitors with dementia have a great day out can also be rewarding for your attraction’s staff, providing they’ve received adequate training in this area (more on that below).

And of course, it makes good business sense to improve your facilities for and awareness of visitors with dementia. It can help future-proof your attraction, generate revenue, bring in new visitors, increase customer satisfaction and give you a competitive advantage over other visitor attractions.

According to Alzheimer’s Society, dementia currently affects 850,000 people in the UK, a figure set to rise to 1.6 million by 2040. The UK has an ageing population, and a growing number of holidays are taken by the over 55s. All of this points to a growing need for visitor attractions that cater to the needs of people living with dementia and their families, friends and carers. It’s also worth noting that people with dementia are more likely to visit at quieter times, which can help extend the season.

9 simple steps to make your visitor attraction more dementia-friendly

There are several actions you can implement to increase awareness of dementia and improve the physical environment of your visitor attraction for people with dementia – and they don’t have to be complicated or expensive.

1. Train staff on supporting visitors with dementia

Build awareness of dementia among your staff. They’ll feel more confident supporting visitors with dementia, and visitors affected by dementia will feel more comfortable coming to your attraction. Alzheimer’s Society can support with training, as can local dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness groups. Your visitor attraction and individual staff members can join the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative, which helps people understand dementia.

2. Install dementia-friendly signage

Clear, frequent, well-placed, image-based signage helps people living with dementia to navigate your visitor attraction more easily. To see an example, download the dementia-friendly signage provided by Alzheimer’s Society.

3. Ask staff to wear name badges

Name badges are valuable prompts for visitors with memory loss. Displaying staff names clearly helps people with dementia feel more confident approaching people. You could also use badges to help visitors identify staff members who are trained in providing relevant support.

4. Provide a quiet room

Provide a quiet room – not just a quiet space – for visitors with dementia to use. You should also provide regular reminders that the facility is available, and clear signage to it.

5. Ensure toilets are dementia friendly

Toilet facilities should be clearly signed (as per point 2, above), with sanitary disposal units widely available. The more disabled facilities with space for a carer you have, the better. Make it clear if a toilet has multiple entry and exit points, so a female carer, for example, won’t be waiting for her male person with dementia at the wrong exit. Bear in mind that disabled toilets within single sex toilets can’t be used by carers looking after a husband or wife of the opposite gender.

6. Establish priority access times

Consider establishing times for priority access for people with a disability, including people with dementia, can comfortably visit knowing that your visitor attraction won’t be too busy or over-stimulating, and that properly trained staff will be on site. These could be the quiet times of day, such as early morning or late evening, or you could set aside some time each month.

7. Sign up to the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard Scheme helps to discreetly identify people who need more support, including people with dementia. Hidden Disabilities has also produced three videos to help staff recognise and fully understand the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, learn more about hidden disabilities and understand what to do when they see a visitor wearing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. Once you’re registered and staff have been trained, your attraction can be added to the Sunflower location map.

8. Involve people with dementia in your planning

If you plan to launch any dementia-friendly events or activities at your visitor attraction, tap into the insights of a focus group or user research. Alzheimer’s Society has some helpful information on effective, easy actions you can take to make sure your focus group research is as effective as possible.

9. Promote your dementia-friendly facilities effectively

Help people living with dementia and their friends, families and carers discover that your visitor attraction is a safe, friendly and accessible place for people with dementia to visit. Detailed information about your VA’s awareness of dementia and the facilities you have to support visitors with dementia should be readily available before visits take place. This could be as part of your access guide, or as a separate document published on your website.

It’s worth advertising your dementia-friendly approach too, as those affected by dementia are always looking for new places to visit. It’s worth remembering that people with dementia are less likely to see adverts on social media. Hidden Disabilities can also support your Sunflower marketing campaign launch. VisitEngland’s guide to marketing your accessibility might help.

Further resources

• Alzheimer’s Society
• Dementia UK
• VisitEngland’s Dementia-friendly Tourism guide
• Alzheimer’s Society’s dementia-friendly environment checklist
• Dementia UK’s Going out series: galleries, museums and exhibitions with a person with dementia