Employees in all teams and at all levels at the airport – from security to office workers, firefighters and engineers – have been trained by the Alzheimer’s Society to be Dementia Friends.

The airport is now encouraging 200 on-site businesses to also roll out the training to their employees. 

“An airport can be particularly stressful for a passenger living with dementia, so we’ve teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Society to make sure that they get the best support possible at every point during the airport journey,” said Lucy Martin, accessibility manager at Stansted.

Training includes assessing the airport from the perspective of a person with dementia or a hidden disability and identifying issues they could face.
 
Mark Neville, Alzheimer’s Society’s dementia friendly communities coordinator for Essex, said: “By having a better understanding of the condition and making adjustments, big and small, airport colleagues can make this experience much smoother.”

 
Stansted also uses the Sunflower Scheme, where passengers can wear an Airport Awareness Sunflower lanyard to discreetly indicate they have a hidden disability to staff.