Dementia friendly shopping day in Plymouth

For people living with dementia daily tasks can become difficult or sometimes daunting. Shopping in particular can be a stressful experience for people with dementia who are often left feeling vulnerable.

Plymouth City Council in collaboration with Plymouth Dementia Action Alliance and the Healthy High Streets Group are working together to ensure Plymouth is a Dementia Friendly City where people with dementia and their carers are included in all areas of community life.

On Monday 27 March there will be a Dementia Friendly Shopping Day Event in Plymouth in association with the retailers, Marks and Spencer and Boots (Drake Circus) and Wilko (Armada Centre) which will run from 9am until 4pm, offering support to any shoppers affected by dementia that would like some assistance with their shopping via a pre booked shopping slot. The event is aimed to deliver a helpful service to assist those living with dementia and help them enjoy their shopping experience.

Councillor Lynda Bowyer, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care for Plymouth City Council, said: “As a council we are committed to working with our partners to help Plymouth to become a more Dementia Friendly city.

“We are delighted that so many local retailers have joined together to help raise awareness of Dementia and we hope this event is a great success.”

Selena Arnold, Commercial Manager at M& S Plymouth said: “At M & S Plymouth we are proud to be supporting the Dementia Friends campaign. We want all of our customers to feel comfortable shopping in our store, even if they do need a bit of support , patience, kindness and a bigger than usual smile to greet them when they visit us.

That’s why we have committed to each and every one of our colleagues being empowered to become a Dementia Friend. A number of our colleagues have already attended dementia awareness information sessions and we aim to run these sessions to all our 280 colleagues.”

Chris Murray, General Manager at Boots, Drake Circus said: “Shopping can becoming a daunting experience as dementia progresses and we are delighted to be offering a personal shopper experience for people with dementia and their carers and making shopping easier and more enjoyable for those with dementia.”

Claire Puckey, the Dementia Friendly City Co-ordinator will also be available throughout the day with her awareness and information stand outside the Marks and Spencer entrance within Drake Circus.

To book a personal shopping session at any of the three participating stores on the day, please contact Claire on 01752 398922 or email: claire.puckey@plymouth.gov.uk