– It is very difficult for a person to get dementia. In addition, this is an illness that turns life completely upside down, also for the relatives. Linhave has had dementia in his close family all his life. The grandmother and grandfather had the disease, as well as the mother’s uncle, who was like an extra grandfather to Ingrid. Her father also lives with dementia. FAMILY MAN: Uncle Rein, dad Einar and Ingrid. Photo: Private – Now it’s about filling his life with as many good winks, closeness, smiles and laughter as possible. Linhave hopes that a new TV program can shed light on dementia care. What is dementia? Dementia is a collective name for several brain diseases that affect behavior and the ability to think, think and carry out everyday activities. Most people who get the disease are over 65, but younger people can also get dementia. The disease develops slowly over time and cannot be cured. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (60 to 70 percent of all dementias). Vascular dementia is the second most common (around 20 per cent). Source: FHI. The Dementia Choir In the news series “The Dementia Choir”, people with dementia sing together in a choir. After working on the series, Linhave has seen how the disease turns the lives of the relatives upside down. “DEMENTIA CHOIR”: Through the series, Linhave hopes to show what kind of effect music has on people with dementia. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news – Today, almost all responsibility for creating a good life for the person with dementia often falls on those closest to them. The result is that people become so exhausted that they are completely on their knees. Linhave feels that his own family is getting good help now, but does not hide that it has been difficult at times. – I don’t know how many phone calls my family and I have had to make, and how many tears we have shed because the system is so complicated and the offer so inadequate. Big differences in what is on offer Among the members of the “Dementia Choir”, there is great variation in how much accommodation they have received and what kind of activity they have on offer. Some are satisfied, others not. Linhave reacts to the fact that they get such different offers depending on where they live. – Just within Oslo, there are big differences in what kind of offer one district has, compared to another. We have proof of that through the choir. She believes the offer speaks even more if you compare municipalities, counties and parts of the country. KORØVING: There are already several dementia schools around the country, but Linhave hopes that there will be even more in the future. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news According to Oslo municipality, each individual district is responsible for providing the individual with an offer that is justifiable. – The services must be equal, but also take as a starting point what kind of needs the individual has, wrote the city council’s department for health, elderly and resident services in an email. Therefore, the services may vary from person to person, but also between districts because the services offered may be different. – Must be lucky – There is far too great a difference between the municipalities. This is the view of secretary general Mina Gerhardsen of the National Association for Public Health, which is the patient organization for people with dementia and their relatives. – Today you have to be lucky and buy in the right place to get an offer that suits. It shouldn’t be like this. CUSTOMIZE OFFER: Mina Gerhardsen of the National Association for Public Health believes that the municipalities must ensure that the offer meets the need and that it is adapted to the individual. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news According to the organisation, only one in three of those living at home with dementia have an activity offer. – Many people lack an offer, and of those who do, many get an offer that does not cover the need or meet the person who will use it, says Gerhardsen. Expected that twice as many will develop dementia Over 100,000 people have dementia in Norway today. Most people are over 65, but younger people also get the disease. By 2050, the number of people with dementia is expected to more than double, according to FHI. The reason is that we are getting older. CHORUS GIVES JOY: Linhave hopes the series will illuminate how something as ordinary as chorale can be the most ingenious tool for people with dementia. Photo: Julia Marie Naglestad / Nordisk Banijay/news All the more important to do something about dementia care, believes the program leader. She believes it is about both simplifying the system and seeing the small things in life. – Thinking about what kind of food the person likes, what kind of TV program the person used to watch or what kind of music they liked. Through the choir, Linhave has seen how much music and togetherness mean to the members. JOY: Program manager Ingrid and choir member Ingrid take a dance at one of the concerts with the “Dementia Choir”. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news – One of the wisest things I’m left with is that we all deserve to continue doing what we love, even if we get dementia. Because that is perhaps precisely when we need our old habits the most. You can watch “Dementia Choir” whenever you want on news TV or news 1. The premiere will be broadcast on Sunday 1 January at 9.15pm. The episodes are then broadcast on Tuesdays at 20.10.
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