A Swindon man is calling for more awareness of Parkinson’s disease among staff and managers of Swindon shops.
Graham Vaughan, a 73-year-old person with Parkinson’s, finds shop staff sometimes have had no training in how to help customers who may have particular needs.
He was prompted to make his appeal by a visit to a town centre phone shop, where he says he received unsympathetic treatment when trying to resolve an issue with a phone contract.
This, he said, made him realise that staff and managers were often unaware of the impact unhelpful service and poor attitudes could have on a person who was dealing with Parkinson’s.
He added: "A tremor is not the only sign of a person with this condition. They may need more time to answer and understand.
"The distress can last many hours after the incident."
Although Graham was wearing a badge asking for patience as it takes longer for him to gather his thoughts, he says the staff and manager of the phone shop were dismissive of him and said they would not explain the matter to him again - and that if he was unhappy he could go to another branch.
At the time, Graham was wearing a green lanyard with the sunflower symbol indicating that a person may have hidden disabilities.
Graham said “I used to teach at the local college but I was treated as if I was stupid.”
He also said he would willingly take some time to talk to any retail outlet to explain how hidden disabilities affect people and how to interact more effectively
Further information about the condition, how it affects people and the help available can be found at www.parkinsons.org.uk
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