The first of MBC’s Dementia Friends training sessions was fascinating. Just 45 minutes long and incredibly accessible, Rachel Beedle steers you through the basics of what it’s like to a) have some form of dementia and b) how to care or befriend someone with dementia.
The dementia bingo game with which the session starts with is superb as in just ten minutes or so many of the myths that accompany this disease are either blown away or skillfully unpacked.
For instance did you know that in total there are more than 100 different forms of dementia? That on average 1 in 14 people will experience some form of dementia, That everyday things like the colour of a toilet seat or the size and shape of a doormat can, to someone who struggles with spacial awareness or colour recognition, prove really difficult.
Although keen to point out that no two people are ever alike, Rachel describes dementia as like an umbrella under which all these different symptoms shelter, like unpacking a box of Christmas lights and seeing that certain ones flash whilst others don’t, or like having a pair of big bookcases with the most recent memories stacked on top and the whole thing being hit by an earthquake. The result, she says is that the most recent memories fall off first leaving the “reader” with a whole load of memories, feelings and emotions from lower down i.e. from their past.
The aim of the sessions – the next one will take place here at MBC on November 27th – is to recruit as many Dementia Friends as possible. And this is done by everyone who attends being invited to decide which one of five (you can do more if you like) particular actions you want to focus on.
If you would like to attend the next session please either leave a message for Rachel or email her on seniors@moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk
As I said at the top this really is a fascinating topic. Don’t miss out.