An important message at Christmas from Christine

This is a diary from Chris Maddocks who’s part of the Sea Deep group in Eastbourne. Last week our group met and we went to the town art galleries in Eastbourne. So once a month they have a session for people living with Dementia, so we went behind the scenes and saw a lot of the art collection, which was fascinating, and seeing paintings and things, close up you get a totally different perspective on it.
We started off again with a coffee and a chat which was really nice and then we went into a room which is used for people living with Dementia to make things and when we got there, because we’d been chatting so much over coffee, people were making wreaths, but what struck me most was the amount of kindness that was shown to people living with Dementia and that was kindness from the staff at the galleries who were hosting that time, but also the kindness that people were showing each other, and that was people living with Dementia and those that care for them and it just made me think that, you know, we can show kindness all the year round, we don’t have to wait for a particular day or a particular occasion to show kindness and I often say when I’m giving a talk, just smile and be kind, because these cost nothing but mean an awful lot, especially to people living with Dementia.
And from there we went for a lunch and we went to lunch in a little restaurant-bistro that was overlooking the sea and it was a lovely time and the sun was shining and we just managed to have a chat, we chatted about anything and everything and I’m very much looking forward to our next meeting next week.
So just a few thoughts, be kind and smile and just think at this time of the year coming up to Christmas that a lot of people (inaudible) are lonely because they may have lost loved ones and that at Christmas time brings back thoughts of family and things sometimes what you’ve lost and that we don’t have. And think about people who living alone and maybe you’ve got neighbours who just are feeling lonely, you know sometimes when you have company around you, so just pop round your neighbour’s for coffee or a chat -and just be kind, I think that’s very important.
Thank you.