July 5, 2025
Dear Dementia,
In preparation for an upcoming theatre program at the local parish school, I re-read portions one of my college text books, David Wood’s, Theatre for Children. I was taken back to that class when we created a show from the ground up to tell a story of autism. It was to be a children’s theatre piece. As one of my favorite college courses, I think of it from time to time and wonder what other stories we could have told as a class given enough time.
While in that class I kept thinking about how to use children’s theatre to assist families living with you, to tell the ways you impact a family, a person, a moment. Theatre is one of the most underutilized tools in dementia education and we MUST change that! I am not talking improv classes, but proper theatre productions.
You, dementia, have helped write many stories over the years and yet, we only hear of those living on the ends of the spectrum. We hear the doom and gloom, and we hear the miraculous. What about the middle? Most people live there, sitting in-between the extremes. I understand why storytellers and producers what those extremes and see why they exaggerate real life stories when they make movies, television shoes, and professional theatre. Don’t they know that you bring enough drama, laughter, and whirl wind and don’t need playing up?
You are quite dramatic. The doctors who diagnose you are VERY dramatic. “Go and get your affairs in order.” (Aka, I am giving up on you. Your life is over. Prepare to die) The care community staff, the nursing and CNA staff, the activities staff, ALL SO DRAMATIC! We have a good story to tell here, between you and the way people respond to you. So, what story do you want to write this month? Let’s write something. Let’s show people how to LIVE with dementia. how to live with YOU.
Until tomorrow,
Kate
