Dementia: Ask the Experts Day

Four members of Faversham Rotary attended this event arranged by Swale Dementia Action Alliance. It took place on Friday 27^th October at the Oasis Academy, Isle of Sheppey.

There was a “Market Place” of stalls from local dementia services and dementia friendly organisations, providing a chance to meet and talk with their representatives.

Specialist speakers shared their knowledge about the latest cutting-edge research from Alzheimer’s Research UK and provided advice about legal & financial planning after a dementia diagnosis. Janet talked about her experience of caring for her husband and Keith spoke about how he is learning to live with dementia. We learned a great deal about many aspects of dementia from the four high-quality speakers.

Faversham Club members also experienced the Virtual Dementia Tour(VDT), a unique learning experience in a specially adapted bus, designed to help understand what it might actually feel like to live with dementia. Wearing headphones, special glasses and thick gloves, we struggled to perform everyday tasks like folding towels or setting the table. The bus experience caused us some real discomfort, vital to the process of developing understanding and empathy.

The VDT experience was provided by training2care and sponsored by four local Rotary clubs, Minster-on-Sea, Sittingbourne Invicta, Isle of Sheppey and Faversham.

Faversham Rotary Club is about to receive training that will designate it as a ‘Dementia Friendly ‘ organisation.