SUPPORTING INFORMATION: - Ask students if anyone knows someone with dementia or if anyone knows what dementia is. - Explain that 1 in 3 young people know someone with dementia. This might be a grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend. For some people, it may be their parent. - Learning about dementia can help make things easier and give you some ideas about the things you can do together. If you don’t know someone with dementia, one of your friends might do, and learning a little bit more might help you to support your friends.
What is dementia? Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases There are over 100 different types of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common It is progressive, which means the symptoms will get worse over time Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a natural part of ageing You can’t catch dementia, like you catch chicken pox or a cold Just because someone in your family has dementia, doesn’t mean you will get it when you are older SUPPORTING INFORMATION: Typical early signs of dementia: someone becoming forgetful and confused, for example: forgetting people’s names or how to get home - The symptoms of dementia get worse over time. Every day tasks such as shopping or cooking become increasingly difficult and social situations become hard to manage, for example: recognising friends and family
In the future, more people will be affected by dementia… Currently, there are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia. That is equivalent to more than 22 Wembley stadiums at full capacity. SUPPORTING INFORMATION: The number of people with dementia is steadily increasing While dementia is more common in older people, it is important to remember that it is not a natural part of ageing – not all older people will develop dementia. There are around 40,000 people under the age of 65 living with dementia
What are the symptoms of dementia? Every person with dementia is different, so not everyone will have the same symptoms. Some ways dementia can affect people include: Forgetting things Finding it hard to get the right words out Getting lost Getting mixed up about dates and times Reacting strangely SUPPORTING INFORMATION: - Forgetting things: particularly things that happened recently. Someone might remember things from a long time ago, but not remember what happened earlier in the day. You might also find that people repeat things a lot - Finding it hard to get words out or understand: Sometimes people with dementia might struggle to find the right word for something or struggle to follow conversations. - Getting lost: people might not recognise places they know really well and get confused on the way to the shops or a relative’s house - Getting mixed up about dates and times: people with dementia might not know what day or year it is. They might get dressed in the middle of the night, or think they should be going to school or their job even though they haven’t been to school or work for a long time. - Reacting strangely: someone might react differently to how you expect, like getting upset by things that they used to find funny.
Dementia doesn’t only affect the person diagnosed Actress Carey Mulligan talks about how dementia affected her family: As the video shows, dementia is a disease that affects whole families, and friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqDCdgJ-gTU
The impact of dementia People with dementia can live a full and happy life with the right care and support Dementia does get worse over time, and in the later stages people need more support with daily activities like cooking, moving around or getting dressed Often this support is provided by family carers. In 2013, families and carers spent approximately a billion hours supporting and helping those with dementia. That is equivalent to 150,000 years or watching all 563 episodes of The Simpsons over 480,000 times.
How you can help someone with dementia
Talk to me slowly and clearly If you see me looking lost or confused, tell an adult
Don’t get upset if someone can’t remember your name, or something that you did together
You could think of activities you can still do together, like listening to music, drawing or looking through old photographs
I can research about dementia and talk to my friends and family about it I will be patient and give those with dementia time to speak
What does the Alzheimer’s Society do? Alzheimer’s Society is a charity that provides information and support to people with any form of dementia, but also their families and carers Alzheimer's Society funds research to help improve care, prevent dementia and trying to find a cure Alzheimer's Society is active in campaigning for people with dementia to improve their quality of life SUPPORTING INFORMATION: - People with dementia can continue to live well with the right support. - Alzheimer’s Society provides information and support to people with any form of dementia and their carers through our publications, National Dementia Helpline, website and more than 2,000 local services throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. - Alzheimer’s Society funds research into improving care for people with dementia, finding out how to prevent dementia, and trying to find a cure. - Alzheimer’s Society campaigns for people with dementia to have access to the health care and support they need, and to have a better quality of life.
Small changes Insight on a day in the life of someone with dementia As the video shows, there are various things that can be done in the community to help those affected by dementia to live well SUPPORTING INFORMATION: - This video gives you an idea of day in the life of someone with dementia, and what can be done in the community to help them live well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz8ACEu7Lho
We need your help SUPPORTING INFORMATION: - Hosting your own Blue Day, which could include: A blue dress down – think blue clothes, blue wigs and blue face paint A blue bake sale A blue flower growing competition A blue snow day. Who needs snow to have a snow day? Wear your pyjamas or onesie to school and spend the afternoon ‘snowed in’ the classroom with a film and hot chocolates. Why not be creative and have a build a snowman competition?
Become a Dementia Friend There are simple things that you can do to help. You can make a difference by: Become a Dementia Friend Visiting the Alzheimer’s Society website to find out more Fundraising – why not host a Blue Day at school? Campaigning to help raise awareness alzheimers.org.uk/youngpeople dementiafriends.org.uk @alzheimerssoc SUPPORTING INFORMATION: - Hosting your own Blue Day, which could include: A blue dress down – think blue clothes, blue wigs and blue face paint A blue bake sale A blue flower growing competition A blue snow day. Who needs snow to have a snow day? Wear your pyjamas or onesie to school and spend the afternoon ‘snowed in’ the classroom with a film and hot chocolates. Why not be creative and have a build a snowman competition?