UniCredit becomes Slovenia’s first dementia-friendly bank

People who are facing illness or physical disorders and their relatives experience severe hardships, about which they hardly speak out loud or ask for help. Raising awareness about dementia and setting up dementia-friendly points is just one of the many activities to contribute to building an inclusive environment for everyone, and a safe space to talk about such topics, which are unfortunately still taboo. The UniCredit group has several policies in place in the area of diversity and inclusion and implements a number of programs to establish a supportive organizational environment, which we see as an opportunity for the growth and development of sustainable business that supports the progress of the entire society.”

We are glad that UniCredit joined us in realising our important mission. With its 18 branches, it will contribute to the creation of a more dementia-friendly society, support active functioning in society, and treat sick people and their relatives with understanding and support. With these activities, we want to enable them to live a dignified, high-quality, and independent life, make a further contribution to the community, maintain their social network and access the services they are used to and need. By opening dementia-friendly points, we contribute to reducing the stigma of this disease, which lasts an average of 10 to 15 years.”

The training was very informative, the lecturers of the Spominčica association presented the topics we had thought about also later on. In addition to instructions on how to properly receive and provide assistance to a sick person, we also received information on how to take care of prevention, which is extremely important, as we all face stressful situations on a daily basis that can lead to various diseases."

During the training, we learned about the extent of dementia in Slovenia, the different types of dementia, the first signs of the disease and the importance of timely diagnosis and thereby reducing the risks of developing or progressing the disease. It is a frightening fact that the number of affected is increasing sharply, and the cause of dementia has not yet been discovered. We realized that we all meet people with dementia, each of us knows someone who has been affected by the disease, so with today's pace and many daily tasks, it is even more important to take care of our physical and mental health."

I was happy to attend the lecture, where I learned a lot about dementia, which is becoming an increasingly hot topic. I especially found the instructions on how to approach a person with dementia, how to act in such a situation and who to turn to for help to be useful.”

We were pleasantly surprised by the quality and comprehensiveness of the content provided at the dementia-friendly training course. We did not imagine that dementia is such a widespread disease that can affect each of us, and how important it is to recognize the signs of the disease, so that it is easier to help a person in trouble. The lecturers presented the topic in an interesting way and, among other things, encouraged us to pay attention to the early signs of dementia in each of us. Given that the rate of patients with dementia disorders is on the rise, I would really recommend attending this training to anyone. We have already seen some word challenges on the Spominčica Facebook page as part of the campaign "LET’S THINK" and thus encouraged our colleagues, family and friends to strengthen their thinking skills."