Alten – Alten Municipality organizes activities around World Alzheimer’s Day 2023 (September 21). Care organizations, Figulus Welzijn, Talent Connectors and the municipality of Aalten, among others, use this day to attract more attention to recognizing and dealing with people with dementia. Awareness plays a big role in this. Therefore a varied program has been chosen on 20 and 21 September, with most activities aiming to show and experience for yourself what it is like to have dementia.
One in five people in the Netherlands will develop dementia. There are currently about 500 people in the municipality of Aalten, and unfortunately this number is increasing. So, all the reasons to reflect on World Alzheimer’s Day and what we can do as a community to support people with dementia to live independently for as long as possible.
Surprise visit
Thanks to the efforts of actor Jan van der Hammen – known from television advertisements about dementia – the initiators hope to generate additional interest in dementia and activities in the municipality of Aalten. So that more residents and business people can contribute to ensuring that people with dementia are able to function as well as possible in our community. Activities begin Wednesday afternoon, September 20. In his role as a “man with dementia”, Jan will make surprise visits to shops in Alten and Dinksperloo. There he encounters store employees and visitors. How do they react when someone seems confused, asks for strange things, or doesn’t know how to pay?
Dementia in this case
In the evening, the program continues with the “Dementia in Business” meeting for small businesses, restaurants and associations in the municipality of Aalten and all residents who work there or participate as volunteers. The first part of the meeting is filled in by actor Jan van der Hammen. What are the signs that someone may have dementia? Then how can you help? And what shouldn’t you do?
After the break it’s about “Judgment Day”. For people with (early) dementia, it’s good to be able to weave an old hobby or passion, familiar to them, into their daily activities. What is required to make this possible? Who and what can help Registration for the free meeting “Dementia in the case” is still possible. Email: [email protected] or call Aalten Municipality: (0543) 49 33 33.
Book table
Information is available in libraries in Alten and Dinksperloo and a book table has been set up on the topic “Dementia”.
“The Father” movie
Cinemas in the municipality of Aalten also pay attention to World Alzheimer’s Day. They are showing the Oscar-winning film “The Father” with Anthony Hopkins (father Anthony) and Olivia Colman (daughter Anne) for free. What makes the film so special is that the viewer sees the world largely through the eyes of Anthony, who is increasingly losing reality due to dementia. Anthony is not the only one who constantly wonders what is real and what is not; As a viewer you also become completely disoriented. In this way, director Florian Zeller not only shows in an insightful way what dementia does to a person, but also leaves the viewer to experience it, as much as this is possible.
Filmhuis Oerkroeg Schiller in Alten shows the film on Thursday 21 September, and Filmhuis in Kulturhus in Dinxperlo a week later, on Thursday 28 September. More information on the websites of Oerkroeg Schiller and Kulturhus.
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