Westmont Chamber joins in supporting senior safety
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s the nation’s population ages, municipalities and organizations are taking a proactive approach to maintain the safety of seniors. In addition to the Village of Westmont and its departments and organizations earning Dementiafriendly certification in 2021, the Westmont Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau took part in the program, as well. “It’s relatively new and only a handful of cities in the state of Illinois have received it so far,” says Chamber Executive Director Larry Forssberg. “That means we’ve been doing training for the police and fire departments, the business community, and others in the community on how to best understand and interact and support those with dementia. We’re moving it out further into the business community as we go forward.” When a first responder engages with someone with dementia, often that person can act agitated or upset. “Police and Fire are trained in those issues,” says Forssberg. “Our first responders went through a series of training programs and now our business
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2022 24 WESTMONT w e s t m o n t c h a m b e r. c o m
