Lafayette Fire Dept. completes dementia training to aid elderly

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Transcript

00:00Did you know 90 percent of medical runs made by the fire department in Lafayette are for helping

00:04the elderly? It's true and that's why the Lafayette Fire Department took big steps to

00:09better answer those calls. Our department went through dementia training with Area 4. Star City

00:14News spoke with Assistant Chief for Training Grant Davidson. He explained what it was like for the

00:19department to get dementia training certificates and how it's impacting not only the community

00:23but bettering the Lafayette Fire Department. We had a about a one-hour lecture. We had to take a

00:28test, pass the test, and then we all received certifications in the city of Lafayette. Fire

00:34Department also received a certification for passing and completing the dementia training.

00:38Davidson said as they work with elderly, the dementia training was crucial to bring more

00:42comfort to the victims they deal with. And it's important to be able to communicate with them,

00:46kind of minimize their fears or concerns or whatever they're going through at the time.

00:50And if we could do that by learning how to communicate with them, helping their family

00:53members through education, then that's a win-win for everybody. The Lafayette Fire

00:58Department worked alongside the non-profit organization Area 4 to complete the certification.

01:02We work a lot with Area 4 because they provide services to the elderly and community members

01:09that need help, whether it's education or help with equipment to help them get up off the floor

01:16or whatnot. Area 4 shared a statement with the city of Lafayette saying in part that the training

01:21demonstrates LFD's dedication to making our entire community more dementia friendly. And

01:25the fire department believes that this new step in dementia training is a leap for understanding

01:30the Lafayette elderly community and how the LFD can make 90% of its calls stronger. For more

01:35information, check out StarCityTV.com. Maddie Sandil, Star City News, Lafayette.