How would you go about supporting a worker in the early stages of dementia?
A UK supermarket chain has showcased their commitment to supporting employees through difficult times, after they helped a dementia sufferer to continue her work.
Sainsbury’s was praised on social media by Doron Salomon, who thanked the supermarket giant for helping his mother to carry on with work, even as the disease progressed.
In his Twitter posts, Salomon thanked his mother’s employers, labelling them as “fabulous”, saying that “on a human level, the people working at the store have shown sensitivity, kindness and care”.
He explained how his mother, who remains unnamed, was diagnosed with alzheimer’s and was assessed to be “unemployable” due to the illness. However, Sainsbury’s decided to stick by their worker, continuing to be concerned for her welfare and asking what more they could do to help.
“A few of the things Sainsbury's have done… offered regular retraining; changed her hours; had regular welfare meetings with her and my dad; ensured her colleagues were aware of her condition so they were able to help her,” Salomon said.
“They even created a role that didn't exist so that there was something in-store she could do despite the fact her job title has never changed from 'picker'. Most recently this has involved giving her the task of cleaning the tote boxes (something staff already did as part of their job).”
Despite this week marking her last day on the job, her son was quick to thank the company management and HR for sticking with her as long as possible.
