MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Driving technique comes second to the compassion that drivers with the Mecklenburg Transportation System (MTS) need to do the job.
“You got to care about the person you are dealing with, be concerned, and be considerate that they're not going to understand you,” MTS driver Alison Montgomery said.
Care, concern, and consideration were a big part of a recent dementia-friendly training for MTS workers.
“We started with our age-friendly framework and the county's commitment to build an age-friendly community. Age-Friendly Mecklenburg Program Coordinator Kristine Arnau said. "Then we dove into our age sensitivity training."
Recently, MTS partnered with several organizations that taught drivers and staff how to communicate and support people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
“The class taught you how to approach them. You don't just grab them. You talk to them and introduce yourself,” Montgomery added.
According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in 2020, around 300,000 North Carolinians were living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
That number is expected to grow to 400,000 by next year.
Ashley Stevens is the co-chair for Dementia Friendly Charlotte Mecklenburg, an organization that advocates for equitable spaces and services for people living with the disease.
“What does a dementia-friendly community and neighborhood look like?" Stevens said. "What does it look like for you to recognize the signs and the symptoms? Sometimes there’s a stigma associated with dementia that, oh, if you have dementia, you’re not able to live well. and that is so far from the truth."
Arnau said older adults are the fastest-growing population, pointing out that people 60 and older account for 18% of the community
For JP Rodgers, a driver with MTS, the training was personal. His aunt in Alabama has dementia.
“When I look back at that classroom, I thought about her," Rodgers said. "At this point, she’s dealing with that. You have to repeat stuff. So, you just love on her."
Stevens said the goal is to not only make transit dementia friendly but the entire community, as well.
“It’s the banks that you go to. It’s the grocery stores,” Stevens said.
Stevens also mentioned that Charlotte Douglas International Airport is also looking to make its facilities dementia friendly.
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