Coronavirus: Alzheimer Scotland calls on Scottish Building Society to help advise on finances

Scottish Building Society (SBS) has partnered with Alzheimer Scotland’s free 24-hour hotline to help those living with dementia and their families.

Staff at SBS are supporting the charity’s volunteers. Picture: Mark F Gibson/Gibson Digital.

Staff at Edinburgh-based SBS, which says it is the world’s oldest building society, are supporting the charity’s volunteers by providing specialist advice on questions around finances, such as mortgages and savings.

With families in self-isolation, the charity has increased capacity on the lifeline. It reached out to SBS to ask if staff could volunteer their expertise. SBS have already trained workers on supporting vulnerable customers and attended training sessions to become “Dementia Friends”.

The organisation said that with banking classed as an essential service, its branches are working on reduced hours to support customers.

SBS chief executive Paul Denton said: “It is critical at this time that those living with dementia and their partners, carers and friends know that they are not alone. Alzheimer Scotland provides a vital lifeline at these difficult times and everyone at the society feels privileged to support such an essential charity.”

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