Rajinder: We're hoping that by undertaking this dementia project that we are able to
make the Gurudwara Shib what they were originally meant to be, open for everyone including those
with dementia. Bhajneek: Elderly people can often feel isolated
or alone, especially if their relatives are far away or have moved you know abroad so
this project can hopefully play an important role because if people do come to the Gurudwara
for social support perhaps we can also give them support if they're suffering with dementia
or they know people who are suffering with dementia.
Dr Keldip: Normally the stereotypes that people have is that they are getting older and they
are just losing memory and fail to recognise that there's a mental health disease under
the symptoms of dementia. Mohinder: They don't understand what is dementia?
And what is Alzheimer's? They should find out what is causing it, what it is. They shouldn't
just think 'Oh he's lost his memory' and that's it, or there's depression or he's got old,
so that's why he's forgetting he's not, but that's how they think it, but it shouldn't
be like that. Rajinder: Stigma's a very big issue that we
are currently trying to deal with because we recognise there's a big problem in awareness
levels of dementia in South Asian, Punjabi and Sheikh Communities and we thought this
might be a good way of exposing our community to dementia and the charity Alzheimer's Society.
Gursharan: I think the awareness has been very important because there's, as you are
aware there is stigma attached to even discussing dementia and quite often people with dementia
are often side lined and sometimes families are scared to talk about it.
Bhajneek: We've tried to adjust the environment of the Gurudwara to make it accessible to
people with dementia, by making large signs with words written in English and Punjabi
and pictures to go with them we've dotted them around the Gurudwara Shib to highlight
the important areas, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the prayer hall in the hope that that might
make things just a little bit easier. Rajinder: Besides the signs we focused very
heavily on awareness, we have leaflets in Punjabi and in English we've also developed
a website, it has the literature that is available physically in the Gurudwara Shib for people
to download and read it also has a variety of different podcasts and hopefully its really,
it's all there to allow information to be disseminated more freely.
Gursharan: We've put places for people to sit now in the main prayer hall which wasn't
there quite a while back so it's a change but I'm sure people will feel confidant and
comfortable bringing they're family members who are suffering from dementia back into
the Gurudwara and that's the biggest bonus. Bhajneek: I hope that through this project
people will be able to talk about dementia more openly and feel comfortable enough to
do so without being stigmatised in any way. Rajinder: It's really not only to provide
a spiritual experience for them but it's to provide them a community feel to let them
know that they're loved, to let them know that they belong here, to let them know that no
one's going to look down at them, no one's going to discriminate against them to let
them know that someone's going to be there to help them.
Dr Keldip: I think it's about developing community as well and the social networking which people
can use particularly in these chronic long-term conditions so that they can support each other
and seek support, so I think the impact is going to be far reaching.
Bhajneek: It's a very small project but it seems to be having an impact which is really
good to see and I hope, I hope that gives other communities hope as well.