Resource pack launched for children who want to learn about dementia

The National Children and Adult Services (NCAS) has launched a resource pack which it hopes will help children to learn more about dementia.

Some 22 primary and secondary schools have signed up to the project, with the theme of dementia care and support being added to their curriculums.

The NCAS believes that increasing children's knowledge and awareness of the cognitive condition will help to remove the stigma associated with dementia and encourage more young people to interact with sufferers.

It is hoped that one day the UK will have a truly "dementia friendly generation".

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: "With a million people developing dementia in the next ten years it is likely children will experience the condition in their lifetime, whether it is a grandparent, a parent, or even themselves.

"Educating children and young people about dementia will help them understand more about how it affects someone and remove stigma before it even develops. This project has been a real success and we hope other schools will take part."

Veteran TV presenter Angela Rippon, who chairs the project and is an ambassador of the Alzheimer's Society, added that the imagination and passion shown by the children so far has been "truly inspirational".

Currently, around 820,000 people are living in the UK with some form of dementia and that number is expected to rise above the one million by 2021 unless a significant breakthrough in research and treatments is made.

Earlier this year, a new charity called MindFull said that as well learning about health conditions such as dementia, school children should also be given lessons on mental health.

Emma-Jane Cross, who founded the charity, said that thousands of young people are at risk of serious long-term effects, even within their school years, but stigmas prevent them from speaking out.

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