Family Life

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" 

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. 

They went above and beyond for his mother, retraining her and fitting her work schedule around her sleeping patterns. 

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. 

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  

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