A WOMAN who lives with dementia has shared her experiences of travelling on buses.
Shirley Williams, who lives in Brighton, is a regular on the city buses. She really values the services that the buses provide as they help her to keep active and meet up with people.
The 90-year-old said: “I’m doing everything I want to do.
“You’re going to where you’re going, you know what you’re doing and you’re still meeting up with people that you know.
“It’s nice that the bus company has put something in place. The people are friendly. They talk to you as well on the buses, which I think is nice.”
A short film called Shirley’s Journey has been made as part of Brighton and Hove Bus Company's work to become more age and dementia-friendly.
The bus company said it is committed to making its buses more accessible for everybody. They have worked with local organisations like Alzheimer’s Society, Guide Dogs and Possability People.
Brighton and Hove and Metrobus managing director Martin Harris said: "Shirley's Journey and the lived experiences of people like her travelling on the buses, shares with us how vital it is to be a dementia-friendly organisation.
“Being dementia friendly helps us all to help people to live well with dementia while improving accessibility for the whole community.
“With the help and support of the Alzheimer's Society, we have learned how important it is to ensure our bus services are more age and dementia friendly, including fitting lighter floors and by our colleagues becoming Dementia Friends.
“Our next-stop audio-visual announcements also provide reassurance for all of our passengers.”
People living with dementia can experience darker floors, like bus floors, as black holes or dark pools of water, making lighter floors a better choice. This is something that has already been done by Brighton and Hove buses.
The bus company is now launching Dementia Friend sessions which it is hoped will make the city a friendlier place for people living with dementia.
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