Dementia Action Week: Southern Vectis’ Commitment To Local People living with dementia

Monday, 13 May 2024 11:40

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

Southern Vectis is marking Dementia Action Week - 13 to 19 May - by highlighting its commitment to making local bus services more accessible for some of its most vulnerable passengers.

Bus services across the Isle of Wight provide a vital lifeline for many of those living within the local community - giving them access a wide variety of shops, health services and other amenities.

“People living with dementia, in particular, rely on our services in order to carry out their everyday activities - but we know they have special requirements when travelling with us,” said Southern Vectis head of communications, Nikki Honer.

“Dementia Action Week is an excellent time to highlight the work we carry out to ensure our entire team is fully aware of the special requirements many of our customers have.

"My colleagues are dedicated to making those passengers’ journeys as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

“All our drivers are trained as ‘Dementia Friends’ as part of our ‘Accessible Travel for All’ course, delivered within colleagues’ initial training, and as part of our ongoing development curriculum.

"We ensure our new buses have light-coloured flooring, because we know many of those with dementia fear darker spaces.

“We hope our dementia friendly ethos helps ensure our services across the Island are accessible to all.”

For more information about Southern Vectis, please visit islandbuses.info