SHOPS in the town centre are being made more accessible for people who have dementia to help them stay independent for longer.

Town centre shops are receiving training from the Alzheimer’s Society and Warrington Hospital in order to help their staff recognise when customers may have dementia.

The training is part of Dementia Friends, a national campaign that has seen 1.5 million people pledge to become more aware of diseases like Alzheimer’s.

One such session took place at Thornton’s in Golden Square Shopping Centre on Friday May 6.

Speaking at the event, Mandy Gough, services manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “The aim is to make Warrington a more dementia-friendly community so that people with dementia can feel that they are a part of that and integrate with their own community for longer so that they can remain independent in their own home.

“If they can come out to places like this and other shops as well as use things like taxi services for longer knowing that they will be in a more-supportive environment then it will stop them being isolated in their own home.

“It could be something as simple as giving someone a bit of extra time at the till because sometimes people can feel rushed, especially in big shops.

“You can live with dementia without it being a negative experience and by making people more aware that will help turn the tide on dementia.”

Edna Stokes, who is living with dementia, also attended the session at Thornton’s – the Bewsey resident gets the bus into the town centre every Friday to shop in Golden Square Shopping Centre, in particular Marks and Spencer, and the market.

Jane Birch, vocational skills and training coordinator at Warrington Hospital, added: “It’s not so much about teaching people, it’s about getting them to think about how they can deal better with individuals who have dementia and sharing experiences they may have had.

“From personal experience, my mother didn’t like a lot of noise so somewhere like the Mall that has a lot of music and lots of people rushing everywhere would make her quite anxious.

“It’s important to realise that if someone looks a bit odd or is behaving strangely they could just be frightened so it’s just about reassuring them and having someone there they can relate to and trust.”