"From invisible to visible; A journey wearing the sunflower lanyard"
I think my family would describe me as generally pessimistic about life, so when I decided not to ask for travel assistance and instead opt for the wearing of my sunflower lanyard together and the help of my travelling companion, I think they felt that I was bucking the trend. Little did they know that deep down my pessimistic side FIRMLY believed that there would be problems navigating the geography of the massive airport and the various security process. I was surprised that on arriving at terminal 5 at Heathrow it was immediately apparent that the organisation had been proactive in recognising the specific needs of people wearing the sunflower lanyard and had invested in bold signage, giving wearers confidence, from the outset, that the organisation recognised the challenges that navigating the airport complex could have on those people with dementia. Having completed online check-in, it only required us to have our boarding passes scanned and baggage labels fixed. Ironically, my companion's boarding pass scanned without a problem whereas mine didn't.
The roaming assistant could see that we were having difficulty and recognised that I was wearing the sunflower lanyard. He immediately resolved the problem and took it upon himself to fix the luggage label and completed all of the check in on my behalf. He then pointed out the specific “sunflower” lane of the customs and security checks. The sunflower lanes seem to be manned by several assistants, all of whom offered both physical assistance and reassurance associated with passport and security checks. Moving through the various scanners, I became very much aware that all the staff were actually on the lookout for people wearing the sunflower lanyard and immediately came forward offering either personal assistance, opening up closed lanes or on one occasion taking both myself and my companion to the head of the queue. When this happened, my immediate concern was the perception of all those people waiting and then seeing someone being taken ahead of them, “pushing in”. However, it was also apparent that a high number of the public were aware of the significance of the sunflower lanyard, so instead, we were proffered smiles and nods of approval. On several occasions we were offered the use of lifts rather than stairs and on one occasion we did take this up.
On the flights, I felt that all the attendants recognised the lanyard and made a point of making personal eye contact; so important. Four things stand out for me:
• Terminal 5 at Heathrow had invested both money and time into supporting people wearing the sunflower lanyard; the result for me (and my companion) was a 10/10 experience.
• The staff, both airport and airline were able to transfer their learning into practical and psychological support and not just treat it as yet another bit of mandatory training.
• There were tangible limits to the effect of wearing the sunflower lanyard. I think that these limits could be solely attributed to whether the organisation had provided training for its staff. It was evident that no staff at the airport at Bologna appeared to recognise or act upon me wearing the sunflower lanyard until we got to the boarding gate! Similarly, I felt that perhaps the training may only have been given to perceived customer-facing staff as, regrettably, on our return to Heathrow, I had several rude comments directed at me from one British Airways (BA) pilot about being in the “wrong lane”. It was the cabin staff who helped and kindly got the missing attendant to open the sunflower lane.
• By wearing the lanyard, I was visible and not my dementia, I was still Phil, who may have just need a little assistance.
The sunflower lanyard is a sign to others that the wearer has a hidden disability, such as dementia. It has been part of the UK disability awareness programme for many years and is highly recommended by dementia charities for raising awareness that the wearer may need additional assistance. Phil is a member of the EWGPWD and was travelling from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Bologna for the 35th Alzheimer's Europe Conference, flying with BA.