Young and old come together to help dispel dementia myths

Schoolchildren visited residents at a care home as part of an inter-generational project aimed at dispelling the myths and stigma associated with dementia.

A class of 30 eight and nine-year-olds from St Peter and St Paul Primary School visited Hartismere Place care home in Eye, near Diss, as part of the Archie Project – an initiative set-up by the charity Reminiscence Learning and introduced by Care UK at the home.

The pupils took time throughout the afternoon to work with residents on arts and crafts projects and talk about what life had been like when those living at the care home were at school.

The afternoon concluded with the children performing an entertaining rap, which put a smile on everyone’s faces.

The Archie Project is a dementia awareness programme linking schools and care homes together.

It is centred round a brightly knitted scarecrow called Archie, which has been designed to help pupils understand how the condition can affect older people.

Customer relations manager at Hartismere Place, Angela Hodge, said: “The pupils and residents had a wonderful time getting to know each other and sharing stories.

“We believe it is important to learn about dementia from a young age and hope that this project will raise awareness of the condition for pupils, as well as their parents, teachers and the local community.

“We look forward to working with pupils at St Peter and St Paul Primary School on future projects and hope to build on the friendships which have been forged.”

SOURCE: Eastern Daily Press, Andrew Papworth
What a  great idea to promote awareness from such a young age about dementia related illness, particularly in their local community.