WNO dementia project sees results

A collaboration project between the Welsh National Opera (WNO) and a leading dementia charity is to reach its climax with a special performance tonight (June 27th).

For the last three months, more than 40 people living with dementia have been working with the WNO in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Society in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, the Western Mail reports.

The group will now perform their own self-penned songs in a Puccini-inspired opera in Cardiff tonight.

Carers and family members of those involved have been amazed at how their loved ones have "come back to life" as a result of the collaboration.

"It's been an absolute joy to see the people on this project who have difficulty maintaining a conversation, recalling the words of songs they have known and loved," Dr Rosie Tope, who has been evaluating the project for the Alzheimer's Society, told the newspaper.

Identifying the development of dementia remains a major challenge for doctors, with research from the University of Leicester finding that only 45 per cent of people with the condition are being diagnosed in its early stages.

Find out about dementia care and support services at Barchester care homes.