“Together against forgetting” is the motto: Funded by the Munich District Office, Neuried becomes the first “dementia-friendly municipality” in the Würmtal.
Neuried - The aim of the project is to improve the quality of life of people with dementia: with live music, hits, dance events and excursions.
The caring relatives should also be relieved.
To implement the request, volunteers and employees from various organizations met for the “Dementia Symposium” in the multi-purpose hall in Neuried.
Ideas and suggestions were collected under the leadership of Andreas Kobza, senior representative of the Neuried community.
Due to the corona, the conference took place with a four-month delay, and the trade fair planned for October on the dementia-friendly Neuried municipality has to be postponed until next year.
160 people suffering from dementia
Around 160 people with dementia currently live in Neuried.
In the next few years, the number is likely to rise to over 225 people with dementia.
Neurieder Neighborhood Aid already offers driving services as well as memory, handicraft and smartphone courses.
Aid organizations such as Malteser, Caritas and the Würmtal-Insel social network offer a wide range of help for people with dementia and their relatives.
However, this is not enough for a “dementia-friendly community”.
The participants at the “Dementia Symposium” quickly agreed that education and knowledge about dementia diseases must be increased.
It should be made easier for those affected to find help, to accept it and to be able to speak openly about the disease.
To implement the project, a new area, including a brochure, is planned on the Neuried community website.
In the future, more lectures by the Alzheimer's Society in the Munich district will be booked.
Art and traveling exhibitions in the town hall to provide information about the disease were also proposed.
If Corona allows, the training program "Education dementia" will also be offered in Neuried from next year.
The offer is specially designed for caregivers and is intended to relieve them by promoting communication and in-depth knowledge of the disease.
"Autumn wind group" is being considered
The offer of an “autumn wind group” is also being considered.
In Graefelfing, day and afternoon care is already offered by the Alzheimer's Society in the Munich district.
The groups of seven to 15 people meet four times a week with trained, volunteer helpers.
Among other things, transport services, dance teas, live music, walks on the Isar and hikes with llamas are offered.
The focus is on joie de vivre, independence and the community of dementia sufferers as well as relieving the relatives who care.
Whether and when an Herbstwind group will also be offered in Neuried has not yet been determined due to the acute shortage of skilled workers, the high costs and the specific requirements for the premises.
“It's a very demanding project that takes time,” says Kobza.
Other suggestions for supporting people with dementia and their relatives caring for them in Neuried include offering regular discussion groups for caregiving relatives, improving accessibility in public spaces, training volunteer helpers and increasing the range of dance and sporting events.
Buildings that are already available, such as the youth center, the Neuried kindergartens or the St. Nikolaus parish hall, should be used on the required premises.
A working group was set up at the end of the conference to implement existing ideas and to initiate further steps and offers.
Lara Listl