New documentary banishes dementia myths
Did you catch the new documentary ‘The Restaurant that Makes Mistakes’ on Channel 4 recently that aims to banish the myths surrounding dementia?
The new programme follows a group of volunteers, with different forms of early onset dementia, as they’re trained to run their own restaurant.
The majority of the people taking part have left full-time employment due to their diagnosis and some have even lost their homes as a result of financial strain, but they are determined to prove that they’re not ready to be written off yet.
Bristol-based restaurateur Josh Eggleton and dementia specialist Dr Zoe Wyrko trained the volunteers to work in the restaurant.
The experiment took place over four weeks and aims to prove that even with a dementia diagnosis, work is still possible for some if companies and employers can make reasonable adjustments.
One adjustment, demonstrated in the first episode, is using visual aids for staff. In the episode one of the workers became distressed because she was unable to locate her locker containing her belongings as they all looked the same. Another worker decided to put photos of each staff member on their dedicated locker in order to help and reduce stress.
The documentary was a fascinating watch and lots of our staff have been talking about it. It’s already clear at the beginning of the experiment that even with a dementia diagnosis, people can still thrive in the workplace. The documentary has already shown many of the volunteers find their stride and place within the kitchen/restaurant, make them feel valued and giving them some much-needed confidence.
If you missed the first episode, it is available to watch at https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-restaurant-that-makes-mistakes/episode-guide. Following episodes will also be uploaded here.
