Deal is on its way to becoming a Dementia Friendly town thanks to free workshops hosted by the Deal Centre.

The centre in Park Street invited members of the public to attend a 45-minute session on Thursday, offering an insight into the condition, including how people can be a more helpful in the places they live and work.

Project officer Sue Beer, who led the sessions, said: “We made 17 new dementia friends this week, to join the 61 I have made over the last year.”

Mrs Beer talked about dementia, which is not the same as Alzheimer’s disease, comparing the brain of someone with the condition to a set of fairy lights; where some can flick on and off, others stay on and others are completely off.

She said: “Memory loss is the first thing you will notice.

“Symptoms will gradually get worse but the speed is different for each individual.”

To help people understand the mind of a person with dementia, she used the analogy of a book case being shaken.

Imagine a cheap bookcase, with the books at the bottom representing childhood memories and the ones at the top as more recent memories. When shaken, the books at the top will inevitably fall off first, while the ones at the bottom will remain intact.

A more sturdy, expensive bookcase, which represents a person’s feelings and emotions, will still lose its books when shaken but not as easily or at the same rate.

This explains why if a person with dementia has been upset by an incident, the next day, they may not be able to remember the incident but they will still recall the feelings, such as the feeling of being upset. It also shows why they may become more child-like.

Mrs Beer said: “When you have dementia, the memories go but the feelings stay.”

She also offered little tips that many people and places could easily implement.

She said: “If someone says to you that you are not their son or daughter, don’t be upset, they can’t help it. Suggest a cup of tea or a game of cards.

“It’s easy to say but hard to do, but try to change your expectations. Try to get into their minds and enjoy the good bits.”

Dementia is not just about losing your mind, it can affect your senses too. It can also affect your perception of things.

Mrs Beer explained how black doormats can represent holes, so people and businesses should avoid them.

Other tips include having a coin reminder on a counter where you might handle money.

During the day, the team also had a stall in the High Street to help spread the word and remove the stigma around dementia. They were also giving away doughnuts.

The Deal Centre would like more businesses to engage in the programme, which is sponsored by Pfizer, to continue to create a Dementia Friendly Deal.

If you are interested in becoming a dementia friend, call into the centre or call 01304 372608.

To find out more visit www.dementiafriends.com