Joy reconsiders her opinion of reminiscence thanks to Search and Rescue.

Hi , it’s Joy. I just had a lovely experience.

Our local group invited a manager from a Search and Rescue Team to share with us. The webinar was great, but then I am biased, because before dementia came along, I was part of a Search and Rescue Team in Essex.

I’ve always been critical of reminiscence groups, thinking they were all about Vera Lynn and the White Cliffs of Dover, but this afternoon has changed my thinking. Listening to this guy describing all the search and rescue techniques took me back to my search days. I even remembered when a muntjac deer jumped out on me during a search. Yes there were sad times, but when we found a missing person we were all elated.

So I now have a better understanding of reminiscence, and although I can’t go out searching anymore, it was great to get in touch with those feelings again. A sense of pride, and value.