A RETIRED engineer has called for an improvement in hospital staff member’s understanding of dementia and alzheimers after being denied support at Furness University Hospital.

Sion Jair, 68, was admitted for treatment for a head injury on Monday 10th December after suffering a fall in his home.

The keen fell-walker was diagnosed with dementia in 2010 but refuses to let the degenerative illness slow him down, regularly climbing mountains across the UK.

After his fall on Monday night, Mr Jair, from Ulverston, underwent a series of tests and said: “The nurses and doctors who dealt with me were compassionate and understanding and I have nothing but praise and admiration for them.”

However, he found the hospital counter staff 'completely disinterested in his predicament'.

Following his fall, Mr Jair enquired within reception staff to assist him in finding transport home.

However, staff members told him that there was no available transport links, going and he added: "No one was even prepared to assist me in trying to figure out what bus I needed to get on.”

The incident caused Mr Jair to feel anxious and confused in unfamiliar surroundings. He added: “I felt the least someone could have done was to check a bus timetable for me and to let me know where I needed to be, and when my bus was due, in order for me to get home safely.”

In the end, Mr Jair had to wait almost an hour in the cold for a bus home.

The event has prompted him to campaign to improve dementia awareness so that organisations appreciate the challenges people living with this illness face.

He added: "We need to create communities that are more compassionate where people like myself can get the support they need.”

Ken Loxley, representative of the Alzheimer’s Society, said dementia is an “invisible illness” which some organisations are more trained for than others. He added that he”supports greater dementia awareness in any form to help sufferers.”

Furness General Hospital was unable to comment at this time.