Memory loss experts offer staff training

Published date20 January 2023
Publication titleOamaru Mail
Community practitioners Susie Sinclair and Debbie Melton want to help people who serve customers affected by Alzheimer’s, other forms of dementia, strokes or brain injuries that result in memory difficulties

Mrs Melton said frontline staff at any business, such as banks and supermarkets, will need to deal with people who have cognitive loss of memory of some form in their time.

Almost 70,000 Kiwis are living with dementia today. Four out of five New Zealanders know or have known someone living with dementia.

The new initiative was ‘‘responding to a need identified by loved ones and whanau of people with dementia’’, Ms Sinclair said.

‘‘There is a huge percentage of people who have been identified with dementia, but those who haven’t been identified can be just as much of a problem as those that have been,’’ Mrs Melton said.

The two women are now in their third year of running CST Oamaru, where CST stands for Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. They hold free classes at Ara Institute of Canterbury’s Oamaru Campus on Thursdays from 10.45am to noon.

Both women are from the north of England, married to engineers, and call themselves ‘‘social engineers’’.

Mrs Melton has 25 years’ experience working with people with cognitive impairment, and was also a qualified diversional therapist. Ms Sinclair has a background as a social worker and tutor, and also has extensive experience working with the elderly.

They were approaching businesses and health care facilities that could have their staff trained in handling people with memory issues.

Those who were unfamiliar with it could be shocked by what people said or did.

A better understanding and coping skills would make...

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