Students visit local day care centre to celebrate Dementia Action Week!

By Isabella, 12 and Grace, 12, Jill Dando News Correspondents

Some 10 students from Priory Community School Academy visited the Alliance Dementia Wellness Centre in Worle to get creative!

The elderly customers were tremendously inviting to the children and struck up conversation immediately over a cup of tea and a biscuit. 

“I like to go to the centre because it's nice to socialise with people and it's nice for those at the centre to meet new people once in a while,” said Roza, one of the visiting students, after she was able to open up to a lady by communicating to her in Polish.

As a group, they all painted lovely rocks to the theme of what they like or enjoy. The students based their rocks on Dementia Action Week.

Laura Hayes, Day Services Manager with Alliance Homes, commended that 'we are always on such a high when the students come in – they really are remarkable young people'.  

One staff member remarked on how impressed she had been with a student who had a lovely, open and patient manner with the customers. 

Dementia is not a disease, it is an unspecified term, or umbrella term, for the impaired ability to recall certain events, to think properly, behave socially or make decisions that may interfere with everyday activities.

The most common type of dementia is Alzhimer’s disease. Dementia mostly affects older people and most people are diagnosed between the ages of 45 - 65. However, dementia is not a normal part of aging. 

These are some of the symptoms of dementia: memory loss, thinking speed, trouble using words correctly, difficulty with daily activities. 

"It was nice to meet new people and have a conversation" said Travis, 12, reflecting on his first visit to the centre. 

"I was a bit scared at first but they were really nice and amazing people," Carolina added.  

Every term, students enjoy visiting the centre to reach out to members of their communities as part of the Character Education journey offered at school.

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