Stansted airport has celebrated passing the milestone of 1,000 staff being trained as ‘Dementia Friends’ to help passengers with hidden disabilities.
The airport is working with the Alzheimer’s Society to train all its staff – ranging from security officers and office workers to firefighters and engineers – to become a dementia-friendly community.
The scheme is being extended as the airport is encouraging the 200 on-site businesses to make all 12,000 people who work at the airport aware of the needs of those with dementia.
Lucy Martin, accessibility manager at Stansted, said: “An airport can be particularly stressful for a passenger living with dementia, so we’ve teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Society to make sure that they get the best support possible at every point during the airport journey.”
Mark Neville, Alzheimer’s Society dementia-friendly communities coordinator for Essex, added: “Busy environments, like airports, can often cause confusion and stress for people living with dementia.
“By having a better understanding of the condition and making adjustments, big and small, airport colleagues can make this experience much smoother.
“There are now more than three million Dementia Friends across the UK and we are delighted that the airport is part of this.”
The airport is also training staff about the needs of other travellers with hidden disabilities, including autism and disabilities which are not obviously visible to others.
Passengers can wear an Airport Awareness Sunflower lanyard or floret available at Stansted and other UK airports, to discreetly indicate to staff that they have a hidden disability and would like additional support.
Staff are trained to recognise these identifiers and offer extra help during a passenger’s journey through the terminal.
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