Kate and Nick’s dad was only 66 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. There were dementia groups in his area and many of them used music in some way but it often involved singing along to songs from the 40s and 50s. Born in 1950, Kate and Nick’s dad was into music from the 60s and 70s, so it wasn’t a big surprise that these songs didn’t mean much to him.
Phil's gran, Margaret, developed vascular dementia in her early 90s. Phil lost the independent, piano playing, jigsaw loving woman she knew too quickly. Losing someone to dementia is losing someone twice. Starting the Dementia Disco is Phil's way of creating memories of fun with the person you remember them to be and giving them the chance to be their true selves again.
We had identified a gap in our community for activities for younger people living with dementia. Unlike other dementia groups that run during working hours, our discos are held at the weekends and are open to friends and family. We love to see multiple generations dance together.
Our discos are also an opportunity to give the carer a rest as they can stay at home and have a family member or friend bring the person with dementia to the disco.
