'˜Sympathy' of supermarket which banned man with dementia

A supermarket which banned a man suffering from dementia from its store is now considering new action to support people with the disease.
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Laurie Butcher has undergone a fundamental personality change after developing frontotemporal dementia and has been banned from his local Sainsbury’s in Haywards Heath, as well as a string of other shops, local library and leisure centre because of his behaviour.

On one occasion he was brought home from Sainsbury’s in a police car. But last week Laurie’s wife Jill, together with Dawn Fairbrother of The Alzheimer’s Society, met with the manager of Sainsbury’s and some of the management team to talk about the problems of frontotemporal dementia - known as FTD.

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Said Jill: “They were very sympathetic and interested in setting up dementia-friendly strategies to help and support dementia sufferers in their store.”

Next week - September 24 - October 1 - is World FTD Awareness Week and efforts are being made around the globe to highlight effects of the condition.

FTD is a relatively rare form of dementia which often strikes younger pople. It is a progressive disorder of the brain which can affect behaviour, language skills and movement.

The disease is often difficult to diagnose because the person is younger and displays different symptoms. People affected by FTD often face misunderstanding from society in general, as well as medical and social care professionals.

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Jill helps to run a FTD carers’ support group at The Beech Hurst Harvester, Butler’s Green Road, Haywards Heath, on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 11 am. Anyone who wants to attend should call 01444 451837.