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Kids and dementia patients enjoy 'smiles and love'

Gem O'Reilly
BBC News
BBC Children with John Ramsay playing on the interactive storytelling projectorBBC
Children from a Peckham primary school came to interact with residents from a care home

Dementia patients have partnered with primary school pupils in south-east London in a project to assuage loneliness and improve cognitive function.

Children from St James the Great and residents of the Greenhive care home in Peckham meet in a library where they share classic stories, and use immersive lights and audio narration to connect with each other.

The founder of the scheme, John Ramsay, said it was intended to "destigmatise the world of dementia" and was a form of care that was not about physical or medical needs.

"It's about making them happy, about their feelings, about the engagement, smiles, love."

He added: "It's about working out what you can do when you're living with a cognitive impairment and how you can engage with the world around you, including with different generations".

He said the programme, called Social Ability, gave children the skills to interact with older people with cognitive impairment, a condition that could affect their grandparents or parents.

Children with John Ramsey (left) and Brenda (right) playing on the interactive storytelling projector
Calming lights and audio installations are part of the sessions

Mr Ramsay said: "Often we're too ready to lock a door so that someone can't get out, and that only increases the isolation which is already there if you are living with a cognitive impairment".

A care home resident, Brenda, said the meetings improve her emotional wellbeing.

"I think it's fantastic for them, it's got them all happy and active. I'm enjoying it. It's nice to see the smiles on their faces.

"I'm good with children and I enjoy seeing them."

Mercy Mautsi, a care home manager, said it was "refreshing" because "most young children don't know what a care home looks like and they've got this fear of people with dementia.

"Without this project, Brenda and the children, they would only have that stereotypical idea of a care home which is where people old people are just sitting, here can understand and make conversations and friends."

One of the pupils, Angel, said she felt "really connected" with Brenda.

"I saw like a really fun side of her when she was playing with us.

"I hope this brings Brenda happiness and I hope she can come to the library every day or maybe like once a week or something."

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