GLADESTRY Church in Wales Primary School has joined the 'dementia friendly' campaign which aims to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding surrounding the condition; there are now 170,000 people in Wales living with dementia.

Local Dementia Friends champion, Sue Mullin who lives in the village, gave a very informative talk about dementia, helping the children to understand just what it is and why it happens. The children participated enthusiastically with their insightful ideas.

Mrs Mullin explained that dementia happens when the brain shrinks and that recent memories are hard for sufferers to retain whilst long term memories are far easier for them to remember. So, things we take for granted like washing, getting dressed and cleaning our teeth might be hard for a dementia sufferer to do. Its not just about remembering memories but about remembering how to do things. Someone with dementia may not remember having breakfast but would remember what they did years ago, for example, learning to ride a bike. Mrs Mullin used the analogy of a wobbly bookcase where books (our memories) are stored. The ones on the top shelf are the first to fall out when the bookcase wobbles, whilst the books on lower shelves are the books (memories) that remain.

The children were asked what sort of memories might be on the bottom shelf and they suggested, a birthday, getting married, birth of a child, a new home, leaving school and many more life events. Mrs Mullin said that the shelves were like the various stages in life, each shelf going down would lead to memories from a long time ago and each shelf going up would lead to more recent memories. When asked what relatives and friends must feel like when their loved ones don't recognise them any more, the children thought they must feel hurt.

'People living with dementia can still think' said Mrs Mullin,'but their thoughts are jumbled.'

She said it was important to visit people living with dementia because they can still 'feel' and making them laugh or playing a game even, would make them feel good for that short time so whilst they may not remember the visit, they will know that it was good.

Each child and adult were presented with a small badge in the shape of a forget-me-not, (the emblem of the Dementia Friends organisation) and a Dementia Friends sheet.

Mrs Mullin reiterated the five key messages:-

1. Dementia is not a natural part of ageing.

2. Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain.

3. Dementia is not just about losing your memory - it can affect thinking, communicating and doing everyday tasks.

4. It's possible to live well with dementia.

5. There's more to a person than the dementia.