Man praises supermarket for employing mother- even after dementia diagnosis
Five years after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Doron Saloman's mother was still working in her local Sainsbury's in North London.
Now Doron has shared this thanks to the mega-supermarket chain, in a touching Twitter thread. Not only had the team supported her as long as possible, but they also offered regular retraining and even made up a position for her.
We're touched.
"Wouldn't usually do something like this but there is a lot of good out there," Doron began. "A thread of thanks to Sainsbury's"
My mum has Alzheimer's. It first started to affect her in her early 50s (around 10 years ago) but it's a disease that is hard to be clinically diagnosed with whilst it's in its early stages (could be a thread in itself). She was eventually diagnosed in late 2013.
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
Alzheimer's, for those that aren't aware, is more than just memory loss. To name a few things it impacts: social skills, mood, increases disorientation, exaggerates emotions, can make you aggressive, increases tiredness, loss of language, inability to make decisions etc etc
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
When his mother started to show early signs of the disease, she became unable to do her original job as a bookkeeper. Instead she applied for a job as a 'picker', put together customers online orders for delivery.
After her official diagnosis, her employers were made aware of the situation. However, instead of letting her go, the supermarket supported her.
For context, Sainsbury's have seen my mum deteriorate to the point that every day for the last year or so she has gone into the store confused, as if she'd never been there before. They have always stood by her, going above and beyond to make sure she's happy and feeling valued.
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
They went above and beyond for his mother, retraining her and fitting her work schedule around her sleeping patterns.
A few of the things Sainsbury's have done: offered regular retraining; changed her hours; had regular welfare meetings with her and my dad; ensured her colleagues were aware of her condition so they were able to help her; and even…
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
…created a role that didn't exist so that there was something in-store she could do despite the fact her job title has never changed from 'picker'. Most recently this has involved giving her the task of cleaning the tote boxes (something staff already did as part of their job).
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
To my mum, cleaning the tote boxes became the most important job in the world. If she didn't do it the store would fall apart. The sense of self-worth and pride has undeniably helped with aspects of her Alzheimer's, such as giving her something to talk about in social situations.
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Doron said that continued working has had a profoundly positive impact on his mother.
"It just gave her a real sense of purpose. It normalised her. A lot of her friends have jobs and go to work and the fact she was doing something similar made her feel like a normal person," he said.
"One of the things with Alzheimer's is that you lose your social skills quite quickly and you can't join in conversations, but when it comes to her job she could talk at length about it."
In October 2017, an occupational health assessment showed that her disease had progressed to the point where she was unable to work, but again Sainsbury's stuck by her.
Nearly 6 months later, yesterday was her last day. Even when they probably should have let her go they didn't until now. My mum was emotional but relieved. Senior management have acted with compassion and handled everything with class and dignity.
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
This thread doesn't really do @sainsburys justice but I wanted to publicly thank them on behalf of my family. They have been a fabulous employer but more than that, on a human level, the people working at the Kenton store have shown sensitivity, kindness and care. Thank you.
— Doron Salomon (@DoronSalomon) 4 March 2018
In a statement, a Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "Doron’s mum was a much loved colleague and an inspiration to all of us. We’d like to thank her for her years of service and wish her all the best for the future."
We're in bits. Doron concluded the thread asking readers to donate to Alzheimer's Research UK