A COMMUNITY-wide effort to raise awareness of dementia stepped into the festive season with a special carol service designed to be fully dementia-friendly.

Three organisations teamed up to host a very special dementia-friendly carol service last Monday. St John’s Church, ReMind UK and Dementia Friendly Peasedown welcomed the public to the event on Monday, December 8, at 3pm, at St John’s Church.

Nathan Hartley is secretary of the Peasedown Community Trust, the charity that runs the Dementia Friendly Peasedown initiative.

He 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.”

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.

The service lasted for 30 to 45 minutes and included short performances by children from the Learning Tree Day Nursery, followed by refreshments

Revd Rachel Howlett, curate at St John’s Church, led the service.

She said: “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.”