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Spending with dementia: Enabling & protecting consumers with dementia
About
While people with dementia report shopping as one of their favourite activities, the design of the high street sometimes makes it difficult.
From remembering a PIN number to accidentally shoplifting and from being exposed to scams to navigating around a town centre, research evidence suggests that our high street isn’t dementia friendly enough. COVID-19 may have increased the challenges faced by people with dementia, with for example, more retailers not accepting cash and reports that online and offline scams may have increased.
Through this year-long project, we spoke to people with dementia and their carers about the problems they face when shopping. We also presented the problems to retailers, high street managers and other companies and then work with designers, start-ups and policy experts to identify solutions to the problems raised.
We heard from people with dementia, their carers, the voluntary sector and professionals working in retail and banking with examples of big problems which need solving as well as from people who might want to work with us on solutions.
This project has been supported by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust.
REPORTS
Our report below, supported by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, finds that the UK economy could see a boost of around £948 million if we simply made our spending environments more inclusive to those living with dementia and other cognitive impairments.
Advisory Group
- Vivienne Jackson – Programme Manager at abrdn Financial Fairness Trust (project funder)
- Jo Moriarty – Research Fellow at King’s University
- Lesley Palmer – Head of Design Services /Chief Architect at Stirling University
- Nigel Hullah – Co-Chair of Three Nations Dementia Working Group
- Johnny Timpson OBE – Financial Inclusion Commissioner and member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, member of the FCA Vulnerable People Committee, the Cabinet Office Disability and Access Ambassador for both the Insurance banking sectors and a member of the Prime Minister Group for Dementia Communities
- Jeremy Hughes – Previous Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society and consultant on the project
- Trudie Hills – Customer Disability Manager at Lloyd’s Banking Group
- Morven Lean – Senior Strategic Change Manager at Alzheimer’s Society
- Jean Tottie – Patron and Founding Director of TIDE
Blogs
05/08/2020
Dementia, financial wellbeing and problematic spending
Blog by: David Sinclair, ILC
National and local dementia strategies, as well as the (former) Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia have raised significant awareness and delivered policy and practice change to support people with dementia. Yet one area where there has been limited focus is in relation to how we support and protect this group on the high street and beyond.
Past Events
27/10/22
Report launch: Spending with dementia – making the high street dementia-friendly
Join us at the Iris Murdoch Centre, Stirling University on Thursday, 27 October from 11.00am to 4.00pm to learn how to make the high street work better for people with dementia.
19/10/22
Roundtable breakfast at the Senedd on living well with dementia in Wales
We held a roundtable breakfast meeting in the Welsh Assembly to understand the challenges faced by people living with dementia and their carers in Wales and how services and businesses can better enable people to live well with dementia. The event will be kindly supported by Roche who are part of the ILC Partners Programme.
05/09/22
Roundtable on living well with dementia in Newcastle
We held a round table to better understand how businesses retail and services can support people living with dementia and their careers in the Northeast. The event was kindly supported by Roche who are part of the ILC Partners Programme.
13/06/22
Dementia and innovation forum
As part of our Spending with dementia project, we brought together a group of experts for an innovation forum where we’ll work through the key challenges that people with dementia faced as consumers and develop solutions.
25/04/22
Roundtable: Enabling and protecting consumers with dementia
As part of our Spending with dementia project, we’re hosting a roundtable to understand the key challenges that people with dementia face as consumers.
News
27/10/22
Retail therapy – Dementia and spending
People with dementia are being let down by the high street, retailers and the financial services industry. However, we argue in our research report published today that if steps were taken to make services more accessible for this group, they could bring in nearly £1bn to the UK economy.
29/09/21
Time to make the high street dementia friendly
A new, year-long programme of work, launched today will seek to identify solutions to the problems people with dementia face when spending on the high street and beyond.
Videos
04/10/21
Spending with dementia: Introducing our new project
Get in touch
We want to hear from people with dementia, their carers, the voluntary sector and professionals working in retail and banking with examples of big problems which need solving as well as from people who might want to work with us on solutions.
If you want to get involved or simply find out more about this project, please contact: events@ilcuk.org.uk