The East of England Co-op’s funeralcare division won the innovation category in the National Dementia Care Awards for its development of high quality services for people living with dementia.
The award was presented by Hazel Blears – former Labour MP and governent minister, now a director of the Co-op Group – at gala night attended by over 450 guests. The ceremony, held in Brighton, was part of the UK Dementia Congress.
Around 50,000 people in the East of England Co-op’s trading area live with dementia. Coping with loss can be even more challenging for people living with dementia and their families. To help staff support people in these situations, the society’s funeral team undertook bespoke dementia-friendly training, a first for the funeral services industry.
The training was developed and co-facilitated by Sharon Harkin, dementia champion at the East of England Co-op, and Danuta Lipinska, specialist in ageing and dementia care, with input from funeral staff.
Ms Lipinska said: “It was a delight and an encouragement to see and hear large numbers of compassionate, enthusiastic, open hearted and open-minded women and men who are passionate about their work. With an impressive range of existing humanitarian and specific funeral skills, we had a very positive interaction and enthusiastic engagement.”
Andrew Dawes, who heads up the society’s funeral division, said: “To be awarded with this accolade is a true testament to our compassionate and dedicated teams, who go above and beyond to support those in our care.”
The award follows a success for the co-op in 2016, when it was named the Large Dementia-Friendly Organisation of the Year, for its work towards becoming the leading dementia-friendly retailer in the region, including training over 90% of its workforce to be Dementia Friends.
