AALTEN – The municipality of Aalten organizes activities around World Alzheimer’s Day 2023 (September 21). Care organizations, Figulus Welzijn, the Talent Connectors and the municipality of Aalten, among others, are taking advantage of that day to draw extra attention to recognizing and dealing with people who have dementia. Awareness plays a major role in this. A varied program has therefore been chosen on 20 and 21 September, with most of the activities aimed at showing and experiencing for yourself what it means to have dementia.
One in every five people in the Netherlands will develop dementia. In the municipality of Aalten there are currently about 500 people and unfortunately that number is increasing. So every reason to reflect on World Alzheimer’s Day and what we as a society can do to support people with dementia to live independently for as long as possible.
Surprise visit
With the efforts of actor Jan van der Hammen – known from the TV commercials about dementia – the initiators hope to generate extra attention for dementia and the activities in the municipality of Aalten. So that even more residents and entrepreneurs can contribute to ensuring that people with dementia can function as well as possible in our society. The activities start on Wednesday afternoon 20 September. In his role as a ‘man with dementia’, Jan will make surprise visits to shops in Aalten and Dinxperlo. There he confronts both shop staff and visitors. How do they react when someone seems confused, orders strange things or doesn’t know how to pay?
Dementia in the case
In the evening, the program continues with the meeting ‘Dementia in the business’ for small businesses, catering and associations in the municipality of Aalten and all residents who work there or are involved as volunteers. The first part of the meeting is filled in by actor Jan van der Hammen. What signs indicate that someone may have dementia? Then how can you help? And what should you not do?
After the break it’s about ‘doomsday’. For people with (early) dementia it is nice if they can weave an old hobby or passion, so familiar to them, into their daily activities. What is needed to make that possible? Who and what can help? Registration for the free meeting ‘Dementia in the case’ is still possible. Mail: municipality@aalten.nl or call the municipality of Aalten: (0543) 49 33 33.
Book table
Information is available in the libraries in Aalten and Dinxperlo and a book table is set up around the theme of ‘dementia’.
Film ‘The Father’
The cinemas in the municipality of Aalten also pay attention to World Alzheimer’s Day. They screen the Oscar-winning film ‘The Father’ with Anthony Hopkins (father Anthony) and Olivia Colman (daughter Anne) for free. What makes the film very special is that the viewer largely sees the world through the eyes of Anthony, who is increasingly losing reality due to dementia. It’s not just Anthony who constantly questions what’s real and what’s not; as a viewer you also become completely disoriented. In this way, director Florian Zeller not only shows in a penetrating way what dementia does to a person, he also lets the viewer experience it, insofar as that is possible.
Filmhuis Oerkroeg Schiller in Aalten screens the film on Thursday 21 September, the Filmhuis in the Kulturhus in Dinxperlo a week later, on Thursday 28 September. More information on the websites of Oerkroeg Schiller and the Kulturhus.
2023-08-31 19:37:06
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