On Thursday, we had a visitor from Dementia Friends come in and talk to use about what having Dementia is all about. Mrs Knight told us that it is a disease which affects the memory cells fo the brain. You can't catch it and only some elderly people develop it.
She explained that it is like a bookcase. All the books are the memories. The oldest memories such as ones from childhood are on the lowest shelves and the more recent memories are on the higher shelves. Having Dementia is like having a rocking bookshelf. As the bookshelf rocks, some of the higher shelf memories fall out and are lost. The momeories at the bottom are on shelves that are more stable so are not so easy to fall out.
Having dementia doesn't mean that you can't live well. Mrs Knight helped us be more understanding and patient. We were given our own pin badge to show that we are now Dementia Friends. Being a Dementia Friend means that we know that we can take care and look after people who need it, such as visiting them, helping them with their meals or going to the shops for them.
Noah and David