To mark World Alzheimer’s Month and with statistics showing that demand for dementia friendly travel is rising significantly, a Warwickshire hotel has taken proactive steps to become a dementia-friendly destination – as scientists predict that by 2050, about 153 million people worldwide will be living with dementia.
Acknowledging the unique needs of travellers with dementia and their caregivers travelling in support, Billesley Manor Hotel and Spa, near Stratford-upon-Avon has introduced a comprehensive staff training programme designed to equip team members with the knowledge and skills necessary to support these guests.
The move comes following an incident at the hotel which saw a guest with dementia wandering out of their bedroom in the middle of the night. Despite the guest being guided back to their room safely without issue, the hotel recognised that, for all hotel staff to know how to react in this sort of scenario and to provide appropriate support and assistance, widespread training would be needed.
This saw Billesley Manor partner with New Age Care, a Midlands-based home care service, to carry out staff training and produce a guide for other hotels to follow.
Commenting on the decision to be more dementia friendly, Stephen Fearnley, General Manager at Billesley Manor, said:
“A guest with dementia recently went wandering in the night, and while they were well looked after by the night staff, who were able to safely steer them back to their room, we realised that with a growing number of people living with dementia, incidents of this nature were only set to rise. So we wanted to take steps to ensure as many people in our team as possible would know how to react, which has seen us start rolling out training across the team to ensure all staff know how to react appropriately.”
The training, which was delivered by New Age Care, covers everything from understanding dementia to practical communication strategies, with the aim of ensuring all guests are treated with the utmost respect and care. As part of the training, the care team at New Age Care have subsequently produced a ‘Dementia Friendly Hotel Guide’ to help enhance dementia-friendly practices throughout the industry.
The guide provides actionable recommendations for creating a dementia-friendly environment and emphasises several key areas, such as:
- Importance of good lighting
- Managing excess noise
- Safer flooring choices
- Using contrasting colours
- Managing reflections
- Effective signage
- Thoughtful furniture choices
- Gardens and outdoor areas
- Additional considerations
Commenting on the dementia guidance, Samantha Whittaker, Director at New Age Care, said:
“With more and more people set to be diagnosed in the coming years as our ageing population increases, the need for dementia friendly travel destinations will grow with it. Collaborating with Billesley Manor has been an incredible opportunity to broaden awareness of how to support people living with dementia. Our ultimate aim is to make every social interaction as safe and comfortable as possible, and by sharing our ‘Dementia Friendly Hotel Guide’ with others, we hope to inspire other hotels to follow suit, creating a more inclusive hospitality industry.”
