Compass Group-Alzheimer’s Society in Fund Raising & Educational Partnership

Compass Group UK & Ireland's healthcare businesses which include Medirest, WhiteOaks and various retail interests, have partnered with the Alzheimer's Society in an initiative that is expected to raise awareness about the condition.

The new partnership will not only see them work together to generate income for the charity, but also implementing the 'Dementia Friends' programme to raise awareness and educate Compass colleagues on the disease and how best to deal with it.

The Compass Group UK & Ireland healthcare team kick off their fundraising efforts on 10th August, with team members being encouraged to "Go Blue For Alzheimer's" - dressing in blue for a £2 donation. There will also be support for the 20 official Alzheimer's Society memory walks across the UK, being held in September and October. Healthcare teams are also gearing up to support the fourth global World Alzheimer's Month and World Alzheimer's Day on 21st September, with additional activities and events.

The funds raised through these initiatives will be ploughed back into the charity and in particular will be channelled into researching the link between food and dementia. The research will focus on 'dysphagia' - difficulties in eating, drinking and swallowing in people living with dementia in the residential care setting. The study will aim to make vital steps into understanding this problem, but also make recommendations so that people with dementia and dysphagia can receive better care and improve their enjoyment of eating and drinking.

The partnership will also see Compass' healthcare colleagues benefit from Alzheimer's Society's pioneering Dementia Friends programme. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the disease and last month reached a staggering 1 million people across the UK. The initiative offers practical support and training on how to deal with the disease in the workplace, but also in society generally. Well over 500 Compass healthcare colleagues have engaged with the programme including colleagues from Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals.

Steve Cenci, Managing Director, Healthcare said: "We wanted to support this extremely important charity, but also partner with them to support our colleagues in getting a better understanding of how to best care for some of our patients with dementia and support their family and friends. The research element to this partnership is something that's especially pertinent; I hope together we can generate some groundbreaking research that can help people with this disease."

Jon Bodenham, Fundraising Director at Alzheimer's Society commented: "Compass Group UK & Ireland's healthcare business is a great partner and we're thrilled to be working with them. Not only are they helping us financially, but they are the perfect way to spread our Dementia Friends training and messages. We're looking forward to building a successful partnership."

Find out how you can become a Dementia Friend here: www.dementiafriends.org.uk