Creating a ‘Dementia Friendly’ Flying Guide: Learning from lived experience

Following the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge, a number of organisations have sought to improve accessibility of their services for those living with dementia. However, one area that has received increased attention for not meeting the needs of people living with dementia is air travel. Whilst legislation that covers inclusivity in flying for those with disabilities is already in place, it appears this legislation is widely interpreted in favour of those with physical, rather than ‘hidden’, disabilities; a term used to encompass not just dementia but also autism, learning disabilities and others, reducing access for this large and growing group. This workshop will provide an overview of a research study that is currently being undertaken on the accessibility of air travel for people living with dementia. Ultimately this research seeks to increase participation in air travel for people living with dementia and to address the potential injustice of non-participation due to factors outside an individual’s control. The results of the study will be presented to The Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge Group for Air Transport and will also help to inform guidelines for the aviation industry on how they can best support people living with dementia in the future. Purpose and learning objectives: • The aim of the workshop is to raise awareness of the difficulties people living with dementia can experience when travelling by air. • Working in small groups of 3-4 people, attendees will be supported to discuss and share ideas from their own experiences to identify what works (and what does not work) within services designed to support those living with dementia (in any setting) and to suggest what the aviation industry might be able to learn from this. The workshop will use a mixture of delivery methods including a brief presentation of the wider research project followed by facilitated interactive group work.