World Alzheimer’s Day
Dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease in particular, is a topic that many adults find difficult to understand and deal with. It is often considered too complex or “heavy” to discuss with children. However, children understand more than we think—as long as we explain it to them in a simple, gentle, and understandable way. In the experiential activities we design for schools (elementary, middle, and high schools) and preschools, we do not use medical terms or dramatize the situation. Instead, through fairy tales, painting, theatrical games, and short stories, we help children understand that some grandparents may forget things, get confused, or need a little extra help. When we tell them that “Grandma may not always remember your name, but she loves you just the same,” we see understanding in their eyes—an understanding that is genuine and full of emotion.
Their reaction is deeply human. Many children connect what they hear with their own personal experiences. They talk about their grandfather who can’t remember what he ate, or their grandmother who asks the same question over and over again. One child drew a picture of his grandfather and wrote: “My grandfather forgets me, but I remember him every day.” Another child asked: “Can I hold his hand when he’s scared?” These are questions that show how openly they approach the concept of care. They are not just learning what dementia is—they are learning how to stand by others with respect, sensitivity, and tenderness.
The aim of these actions is not to “burden” children with a difficult issue. It is to build a culture of solidarity and empathy. Children are tomorrow’s citizens, professionals, caregivers. If they understand from an early age that an elderly person who forgets things is not “strange,” but someone who deserves patience and understanding, then they will grow up with less fear and more respect. In fact, this is a form of prevention. Not just medical prevention, but social prevention. By teaching kids from a young age to see others not as a problem, but as people, we’re changing the future.
The results of these actions are often touching and immediate. Parents have told us that their children came home and spoke with new tenderness about their grandmother. Other times, they bring their own drawings to give to their grandfather who lives in a care facility. These small changes, these moments of understanding and care, are the most important result for us.
World Alzheimer’s Day is an opportunity to remember that dementia does not only affect the elderly or specialists. It affects families, communities, and human relationships. If we start talking honestly and compassionately about dementia early on, then we can raise generations who will not fear difference, but will know how to embrace others as they are. And perhaps, in the end, that is the most valuable lesson in life.
Maria Egkiazarova, Maria Toumpalidou- Caregiver’s Unit of “Agios Ioannis” Day Care Center
Alzheimer Hellas
