Why we need Dementia-Friendly Businesses

Look at the way business is done today. Every customer is looking for personalized service coupled with great value.  As a business owner you might ask, how do I remain competitive in this era of online stores and diverse shopping tastes and expectations.  The convenience of online shopping, the competitive pricing and doorstep deliveries are all the rage, with consumers expecting new and innovative ways to purchasing diapers to computers, vegetables to appliances.

Ponder this, as a business owner, how are you enticing customers to come to your store.  To walk in and browse, to sample goodies, to interact with each other and store employees, to ask questions and get immediate answers.  Yes most of this can be done online, but not with the same efficacy and instant gratification.  Ask yourself, how can a provide a shopping experience that will yield satisfied repeat customers?

Think of those repeat customers who have been coming to your store for years.  You have developed long-standing relationships, know their kids and grandkids – they are a part of your extended family.

So what happens when a elderly family member starts to forget, has some confusion, misses an appointment, gets lost, or maybe cannot shop or patronize your business any longer due to loss of transportation or use of limbs?  What if they had a dementia diagnosis?  They still need milk, prescriptions, a haircut, tires, a nice meal out or a trip to the movies – no different from any of us. What do you do? You find a solution, you look for a way to get them coming back, you look to minimize the hit to your bottom line.

Think of ways your business can become dementia friendly.  Here are just a few:

  • Special Shopping Hours/Offer Assistance with Shopping – a personal shopper maybe?
  • Identify frequently shopped for items, and stock then in places within easy reach of those with wheelchairs, walkers or canes
  • Provide delivery services for free or a nominal cost
  • Staff trained to recognize the small changes in regular customers and how to respond with patience, empathy and understanding
  • Dementia Awareness Training

With a growing number of seniors needing assistance, still living alone, why not be known as the business that has taken the time and effort to be inclusive of all types of shoppers. From customer service, to easy to navigate aisles to supportive employees, you can be that business.

Customers – with money to spend will come – if you build it. (Yes, a Field of Dreams, reference).