We welcomed Tibbs Dementia Foundation to our Wootton Vale Independent Living scheme last week to run a workshop on dementia, covering what it is, recognising symptoms and, importantly, how people with dementia can live well.

The session was part of our inter-generational scheme between students at Kimberley College and residents of the Wootton Vale scheme. bpha CEO Richard Hill also joined the session to meet the students and residents, who meet weekly to chat and enjoy activities together.

The Tibbs Dementia Foundation is a charity that provides activities to give cognitive and physical stimulation in a safe and supportive space. Their ethos is summed up: ‘Instead of the person with DEMENTIA, we see the PERSON with dementia.’

Sarah Russell, the Co-founder and CEO, Tibbs Dementia Foundation, ran the workshop, also covering what dementia is, different stages and types, and prevention.

bpha Community Engagement Officer, Fsella Afzal-Pagliari: “I think that learning more about dementia does reduce the fear around it. I’ve attended an awareness course in the past but learned so much more at the workshop. I did not know that dementia can affect a person’s senses – for example, food might taste like cardboard and eyesight can be affected – creating tunnel-like vision. Understanding this is so helpful for families caring for someone with dementia. It really emphasised that dementia affects individuals differently and there’s no blanket approach to care.”

Some of the Kimberley College students are studying health and social subjects, so said that the workshop was really insightful.

Sarah Russell said: “Thank you for the opportunity to raise awareness of dementia and to share a more hopeful message of the possibility of living better with dementia. This was an ideal opportunity to encourage younger people to develop their knowledge of dementia. Thank you for a warm welcome and the interest of the college, residents and staff.”

You can find out more about Tibbs Dementia Foundation here: https://tibbsdementia.co.uk/