Over the last few years the awareness and incidence of dementia has become much more widespread.  Many initiatives have been developed to help people understand the condition and support both those who have the condition and those who care for them, and unions have been quick to help.

ULRs across the country have played their part in tackling the issues that the condition raises. One of these is Andy Sadler, the Usdaw Mobile Union Learning Rep (MULR) for the Coventry and West Midland area. A member of Andy’s own immediate family suffers with this debilitating condition, so he understands the enormous strain the condition puts on people and families alike.

Andy said:

My work as a MULR gets me talking to colleagues in various work places and the issue of Dementia comes up quite often.”

Most people either have - or know of -someone with the condition so it’s not surprising that they want to know more. I’ve enrolled many people on Distance Learning Mental Health Courses as well as Understanding Dementia”.

In addition to supporting learning around the issue, Andy has taken on a more active role as a Dementia Champion. He took a course with Coventry City Council and now runs Dementia Friendly workshops for store colleagues who wish to attend.

Andy said:

The interest around these courses and the uptake has been great and you really do feel like you are helping people.”

When I first started in my MULR role I probably didn’t realise the different forms that learning can take. We think about English and Maths as learning and probably take those for granted, but to be able to shed more light around subjects like Mental Health and Understanding Dementia is tremendously satisfying. In a way it’s the epitome of lifelong learning”.

Find out more about Dementia Champions here.