The University of Plymouth has partnered with Heathrow Airport to launch new guidance to support passengers with dementia through air travel.
The team held an event in Terminal 5 to launch the new guidance, entitled Flying with Dementia, and spread awareness about the importance of understanding how to help those with dementia and their travel companions. The airport also explained the various ways the terminals have been adapted to support these passengers when travelling.
The guidance was put together following a recommendation by the Prime Minister's Dementia Challenge Group for Air Transport chaired by University Academic partnership Lead for Dementia, Ian Sherriff BEM, with key contribution from Dr Alison Warren, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Plymouth. The guide also draws heavily on PhD research undertaken by Kate Turner, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at the University of Plymouth, with the innovative use of cartoons by nationally acclaimed artist, Tony Husband, to highlight research findings.
Presenter and dementia ambassador, Angela Rippon, attended the event, alongside academics from the University's Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR).
