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Thursday, April 11, 2019
Thanks to special staff training, the Agrace Thrift Store on Madison’s West Side is being recognized as “dementia-friendly” by the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Dane County.
On Thursday, April 18, at 10:30 a.m., Agrace Thrift Store–West staff, volunteers and supporters will host a ceremony celebrating the store’s new “dementia-friendly” status. The community is invited to dress in purple for dementia awareness and visit the store at 118 Junction Road, Madison, for a ribbon-cutting presentation.
Since 2013, the ADRC has worked to increase awareness and empathy for those who live with dementia in Dane County, through its dementia-friendly initiative. The efforts include creating dementia-friendly spaces where people with dementia can more easily access life’s necessities.
The Agrace Thrift Store–West staff and volunteers received Dementia-Friendly Community training from Karen Wheelock, an Agrace volunteer coordinator who is a Certified Dementia Practitioner through the National Council of Certified Practitioners (NCCDP) and was also trained by the ADRC. This training helped Thrift Store staff understand the challenges people with dementia face, and how to adjust customer service to best serve those with memory issues.
“Our staff and volunteers now know how to pick up on cues that a customer or guest may be experiencing memory issues or confusion—things like lack of eye contact or confusion when dealing with money,” Wheelock said. “This training raises awareness about the prevalence of dementia in our community and creates a welcoming atmosphere where visitors with dementia are treated with dignity and respect.”
Shopping, donating and volunteering at Agrace thrift stores helps support Agrace’s exceptional hospice and palliative care programs, which serve people across southern Wisconsin who are facing serious or life-limiting illnesses. Agrace also operates thrift stores on East Springs Drive, Madison, and on Humes Road in Janesville—both of which also plan to undergo Dementia Friendly training.
Wheelock conducted her dementia-friendly community training sessions at space generously donated by The Jefferson Retirement Home in Middleton. More information about the thrift store is available at facebook.com/AgraceThriftStoreMadisonWest, agracethriftstore.org, or by calling (608)-833-4556.
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