In the UK and abroad the attitude towards people with dementia is changing. There was a sense that those with dementia needed to be told exactly what to do. Too many of those who have to care for relatives or friends with dementia feel that they should take on the role of the adult and coerce their loved ones into the role of the child. This is far too simple a solution to adjusting ones mindset to that of the carer. There should be no suggestion that they need to obey some kind of authoritative figure.
Luckily for us, with the dawn of the 2010s, the saturation of social media into our lives bucked the trend and has seemingly altered the way we think about mental health. The new generational outlook is a more hopeful one than the ones previous.
In aid of our objective of creating a safe space where people with dementia can come to socialise and feel welcome, Sarina Berchtold has jetted in from Zurich. She is here to improve on her English and work in a foreign country. The choice was hers as to where she came to work and she chose to work here. This demonstrates that she is of a charitable nature and cares deeply about the plights of those who face difficulties in their daily lives but who also are unable to combat these difficulties themselves.
Before we get ahead of ourselves I’m not suggesting that the Dementia Café has properly gone global, nor am I saying that the arrival of one generous person from Switzerland is the remedy to all the serious issues those with dementia are currently facing. What I am saying, however, is that this attempt to make contact with our charity from Europe is a representation of the growing dissatisfaction with the treatment of mental health, the world over.
What proves this is the fact that Sarina, someone whose primary aim is to improve her English decided to dedicate her time to a charity that hopes to create a safe space for people with dementia. She did this of her own volition and could have chosen to do anything.
Hopefully it is not premature to become hopeful for the future but one thing is for certain. This is a step in the right direction.
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Hey guys, it’s true, I decided to come here on my own because the capital of England is a place I have always wanted to visit. My short work experience seemed to be the ideal opportunity to do so. I have never been to a big city like this before, even though I used to travel a lot with my family. This for sure is why I was looking forward to find out some new things about this beautiful place.
London is really different from Zurich, which makes it even more interesting to walk around and explore the city. The first thing I noticed was the huge number of people walking around iconic landmarks like Big Ben or the London eye. It seems surreal that there are more people living here than in Switzerland. There are only about 4,000 people living in my tiny hometown, which makes London look even bigger when I think about this insane difference. Canary Wharf and Central London seemed to differ a lot as well, almost as if the two did not belong to each other. I always thought that busy places in central London would be way too hectic for me but I really liked the atmosphere today. Everyone was taking pictures, laughing, eating or just having a good time and enjoying themselves. The city also appears to stay awake at night time because it never gets fully dark. The lights illuminate the city.
I really liked seeing the sights of central London. Iconic places, red phone boxes, big busses, all were extremely fascinating to visit and to look at. When I researched some famous places here, I realised that Zurich has not even nearly got as many well know sights. There most probably are stunning places in Zurich too, but I think you start to look at a place differently once you live there, not even in a bad way but people often are more likely to pay attention to the little things of new places. We talked about popular parts of London and things which make this city the wonderful place it is. What sticks in my mind are not only the pretty landmarks but also Londoners and the atmosphere.
London surely has many more places which will be amazing to visit during my stay and I am so happy that I have the opportunity to find out more about this stunning place.
– Sarina
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