Peasedown St John’s village-wide campaign to raise awareness of dementia and create a dementia-friendly community made history this Christmas, with their first-ever dedicated carol service.
The group, Dementia Friendly Peasedown, hosted the special dementia-friendly carol service last week.
Group member, Jane Street, said: “Christmas can be a very difficult and confusing time for those living with dementia. The colours, smells, noises and different tastes can often be too overwhelming for anyone with the condition.
“Dementia affects people in different ways, but a daily routine that doesn’t change and a comfortable and safe environment can support those who are struggling to remember.
“Christmas, which is meant to be a joyful and happy time of the year, can be distressing for anytime living with Alzheimer’s Disease or any of the other 99 types of dementia – which is exactly why we organised this event!”
For many people living with dementia, short-term memory is lost first, with memories of younger years and childhood remaining for a much longer period of time.
This means that older songs and traditional hymns, which have played a significant part in the celebration of Christmas for hundreds of years, are still remembered by many.
Dementia Friendly Peasedown Project Manager, Nathan Hartley, added: “As the number of people living longer increases, so does the number of cases of dementia. As a way of helping care for and support people with dementia, music has been shown to often have a dramatic effect.
“Whether it’s 60s soul, operatic arias or Christmas carols, music can soothe, stimulate and bring to mind long-forgotten memories.
“The power of music, especially singing, to unlock memories is an increasingly key feature of dementia care. It seems to reach parts of the brain in ways other forms of communication cannot.”
Peasedown St John’s first-ever dementia-friendly carol service was held at St John’s Parish Church and included short performances by children from the Learning Tree Day Nursery. Revd Derek Smith, a retired Anglican Vicar living in Peasedown St John, led the service.
