Youth & Dementia Archives - DementiaHub.SG Singapore’s One-Stop Resource Portal on Dementia Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:53:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.dementiahub.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/fav.png Youth & Dementia Archives - DementiaHub.SG 32 32 Be the Bridge: Youth & Dementia in Action https://www.dementiahub.sg/blog/be-the-bridge-youth-dementia-in-action/ Tue, 24 Jun 2025 03:50:40 +0000 https://www.dementiahub.sg/?p=69882 Explore the power of intergenerational engagement in connecting youths and persons living with dementia.

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Explore the power of intergenerational engagement in connecting youths and persons living with dementia. These interactions foster valuable life skills like communication and empathy while creating meaningful cross-generational relationships.  

A New Way to Make a Difference

Imagine stepping into a volunteer session, uncertain of what to expect, then a person living with dementia begins sharing their life story. That is exactly what happened to Terrence Ding, a Youth Community Leader and volunteer at Dementia Singapore (DSG). 

Initially, he was simply trying to earn hours for a youth achievement award, but when a woman with dementia shared her life story, it changed everything. “Even if they forget, everyone has a story to tell,” he reflects. This is the essence of intergenerational engagement. It is about fostering connections between the younger and older generations, especially those living with dementia. It is more than volunteering; it challenges assumptions and forges relationships beyond age. 

Why Intergenerational Engagement Matters

Engaging with older generations is more than filling out volunteer hours, it is about creating lasting connections. In Singapore, many existing intergenerational programmes focus on pairing pre-school children and persons living with dementia. A welcome change seen in recent years is youths aged 15-24 stepping up, bringing fresh energy to these programmes.  When youths volunteer in intergenerational programmes, it is much more than giving up time; it is about creating change in the life of both seniors and youths. 

Why Youths Should Interact with Persons Living with Dementia: Not Just About Providing Help

If you are a youth, consider getting involved engaging persons living with dementia as it is more than just offering companionship, it also:  

  • Develops important life skills: These interactions are a great way to develop communication skills, empathy, patience, and leadership skills1. Learning how to communicate with empathy with persons living with dementia can be a valuable experience. 

 

  • Create meaningful connections: Intergenerational engagement fosters cross-generational bonds and helps reduce social isolation among persons living with dementia.2 In sharing stories and perspectives, youths develop a deeper understanding of others, expanding their worldview. 

 

  • Make an Impact: Youth participation in intergenerational programmes, raises awareness on dementia among peers, ensuring that future generations can be more informed and empathetic toward them. 

Navigating Intergenerational Interactions

Like any new experience, engaging with persons living with dementia may come with unfamiliar moments. But the good news is, these moments can be opportunities to learn and grow. 

Here are some ways youths can turn these challenges into opportunities: 

  • Barrier 1: Time Constraints 

As a youth, juggling school, social life, and extracurricular activities can make it difficult to find the time to volunteer. 

Solution: Flexibility is key. Programmes at DSG and other senior activity centers (SACs) offer flexible schedules, allowing you to start small with just one or two hours a week and slowly increase your involvement. 

  • Barrier 2: Unfamiliar in communicating with persons living with dementia. 

If you have not spent much time with persons living with dementia, you may be unsure how to interact with them. 

Solution: Support and training. Volunteer programmes and student-led initiatives like ProjectEDEN often provide briefings that teach you how to communicate and connect with persons living with dementia. These equip you with the skillset and confidence needed for meaningful interactions. 

By stepping into this space, youths will grow as individuals and be a bridge between generations. 

How to Get Involved

Are you ready to make your mark? Your involvement helps create a lasting change. Here are some ways to help you get started: 

  • Activity Facilitation: Lead and organise fun activities like reminiscence sessions or arts and crafts like those available at Sengkang Community Hospital, fostering meaningful connections with persons living with dementia. 

 

  • Befriender to Persons living with Dementia: Spend time with persons with dementia, offering companionship in care centers or through home visits. These simple interactions can significantly improve their quality of life. 

 

  • Outreach and Awareness: Raise awareness about dementia, like your peers who led projects such as Eunoia Junior College’s Project Dandelion, sparking important conversations among students. Help organise events, share information, and build a more dementia-friendly community in your school or neighbourhood.   

Additionally, if you are a youth and ready to take your involvement to the next level, consider joining the Youth Advocate Programme. This initiative will train you in dementia communication, offer valuable insights into dementia care, and give you the opportunity to create your own dementia advocacy project! 

''Volunteering at the centres has given me first-hand experience of interacting with persons living with dementia, which is a very good skill to have!"

Terrence Ding

Whether it is volunteering, becoming a befriender, or raising awareness, every action counts.  

Use this link or these hashtags #YouthsForDementiaSingapore and #DSGYouthAdvocates on Instagram to find out more and connect with other volunteers. Download our starter kits from the resource tab like the Youth Hope Intergenerational Toolkit which comes with resources, templates, and activity ideas to help guide you along the way. 

Together, we can create a dementia-friendly future! 

References
  1. Canning, S. E., Gaetz, M., & Blakeborough, D. (2018). It takes time: Building relationships and understanding through an intergenerational ballet programme. Dementia, 19(2), 270–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218772895
  2. Houghton, C., Hennessy, M., Smyth, S., et al. (2022). The experiences and perceptions of young people and older people living with dementia of participating in intergenerational programmes: A qualitative evidence synthesis. Dementia, 21(7), 2144–2171. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012221112385
  3. Nanda, A. (2024). Beneficial bonding: When people with dementia interact with kids and youth. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/beneficial-bonding-when-people-with-dementia-interact-with-kids-and-youth

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]]> Up Close with Youth Volunteers: Terrence Ding https://www.dementiahub.sg/up-close-with-youth-volunteers-terrence-ding/ Tue, 05 Nov 2024 05:24:44 +0000 https://www.dementiahub.sg/?p=58098 Terrence Ding, Dementia Singapore's first Youth Community Leader, shares his experience volunteering with persons living with dementia and his hopes for the community.

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Terrence Ding has volunteered with Dementia Singapore since last year while pursuing a Diploma in Health Services Management at Republic Polytechnic. In March, he became Dementia Singapore’s first Youth Community Leader. We invited Terrence to share more about his aspirations and what being a youth volunteer leader in the dementia space means to him.

Hi Terrence, please tell us about yourself.

Hello! I just graduated from polytechnic not too long ago and I am currently studying real estate. I am actively volunteering with several organisations – one of them being Dementia Singapore (DSG) – and mainly focusing on my personal portfolio development while waiting for national service enlistment.

How did your involvement in volunteering begin?

Initially, I started volunteering because of the National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA). I wanted to get the NYAA and we had to clock in a number of hours across different programmes. After that, I continued to volunteer on my own because I find it an enriching experience.

Why did you decide to volunteer with Dementia Singapore (DSG)?

Back at Republic Polytechnic, we did a project with DSG at the Jurong Point New Horizon Centre. Going through that experience helped me to see how my volunteering efforts could help those ah gongs and aunties, and possibly be of relevance to my life in the future – dementia is not only for seniors. There is also young-onset dementia that affects younger people. Helping out at DSG helps me understand more about dementia and how to reduce risk of developing it. Volunteering here also helps me understand what it’s like being a person living with dementia, and seeing from their perspective.

What has your experience been like volunteering with Dementia Singapore?

I would say it has been great, because when I give feedback, it’s taken into consideration. I feel valued, like a member of this organisation. Volunteering at the centres has given me first-hand experience of interacting with persons living with dementia, which is a very good skill to have!

Youth volunteers after a day of volunteering at Dementia Singapore's Toa Payoh New Horizon Centre.
Could you share with us a particularly memorable experience volunteering with us?

During a volunteer session at Jurong Point in June, I was helping to conduct an activity with a group of students when a lady living with dementia started to talk to us. She shared with us about her past, her education and so on. It was a very enriching experience for me because I was not expecting such a level of interaction that day. The experience reminded me that persons with dementia are the same as everyone else. They may be forgetful sometimes, but they too have their life stories to tell, and these stories still resonate with us to a certain extent.

A youth volunteer and Terrence playing games with clients at the New Horizon Centre.
How do you feel about being Dementia Singapore's first Youth Community Leader?

Honestly, there is a bar to set, being the first Youth Community Leader. Being a leader is not just about helping out at one session and then going home. It is also about helping the staff or the organisation to see how they can develop further, such as pushing a programme to new heights. However, it is also enjoyable because I like to help.

What do you hope to achieve as a youth volunteer and a Youth Community Leader?

As a Youth Community Leader for DSG, I wish to help the organisation achieve its vision to build a dementia-inclusive society. On a more personal level, I wish to help solidify this role because this is a new programme. Moving forward, I hope that future Youth Community Leaders can feel empowered to make a difference, working alongside their respective organisations.

In one word, how would you describe your impact on the dementia community so far?

Okay, it is a little tough to narrow it down to one word, but if I had to choose, it would be ‘supportive’. Actively volunteering and contributing my knowledge to fellow youths is my way of supporting the dementia cause and helping persons living with dementia.

What changes do you hope to see in the dementia sector in the next five to ten years?

I hope to see changes in two broad categories: one being care and treatment, and the other for awareness and destigmatisation. Let me talk about care and treatment first. The change I would like to see are stronger policies and legislation to support dementia care and research. If we invest more into research for dementia, like providing more funding, this money can help with early diagnosis.

Also, when we put more funding into developing treatments, we might even find a cure for dementia! As we know, there is currently no cure for dementia, and it is also not easy to be a caregiver. Some of this funding could go towards providing more support for caregivers.  

We could also integrate technology in care and monitoring of persons with dementia. For instance, caring for persons living with dementia at the New Horizon Centres is currently quite labour– intensive. Leveraging technology could relieve the workload of care and monitoring by staff there. Technology could also help achieve more patient-centred care. Moving forward, I think that care could be more personalised for persons living with dementia.

As for care and treatment, I hope that there can be more support networks for persons living with dementia to engage with the community.

My second broad area is awareness and destigmatisation – I hope for more public awareness, which is what Dementia Singapore hopes to achieve as well. We need to keep educating the public to recognise signs of dementia and to be more accepting of persons with dementia. In doing this, we can reduce the stigma towards dementia. Sometimes, people may laugh at persons with dementia behaving differently from themselves because they think it’s funny. But if they understood why they are behaving this way they do after getting educated about dementia, they might be more empathetic towards persons with dementia. So yes, I definitely hope for the stigma of dementia to be reduced.

On a personal level, what dreams and aspirations do you have for yourself?

I have a lot of dreams! I’m young and I have many ambitions related to community service.  I want to be able to share my experiences volunteering at many organisations thus far, especially with fellow youths who want to learn about community service. I hope to empower them to chart their own path and make a difference to our society – no matter which cause they support – and I want to advocate more for youth volunteerism.

This article has been lightly edited for clarity. 
Terrence Ding

Terrence, a graduate of the Diploma in Health Services Management at Republic Polytechnic, is currently serving his enlistment. In his free time, he is deeply passionate about helping others by volunteering for various causes, including dementia-inclusivity in Singapore. He hopes to personally create positive change in his community.

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]]> An Open Letter to Filmmakers on Portrayals of Dementia https://www.dementiahub.sg/blog/an-open-letter-to-filmmakers-on-portrayals-of-dementia/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:04:25 +0000 https://www.dementiahub.sg/?p=52213 Dementia self-advocate Emily Ong calls for sensitivity in on-screen portrayals of dementia that affirm dignity and self-worth.

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Dementia self-advocate Emily Ong calls for sensitivity in on-screen portrayals of dementia that affirm dignity and self-worth.

 

The Impact of Inaccurate Portrayals of Dementia

As a person living with dementia and self-advocate, I’ve often been approached to consult on content and films produced on dementia.

In one such script for a short film I was recently consulted on, it depicts the person with dementia in a pitiful state: wandering aimlessly, unable to help an injured loved one and being ‘difficult to deal with’.

Negative depictions of dementia already abound in the current public awareness, and only serve to perpetrate the stigma of hopelessness and fear surrounding persons diagnosed with dementia.

It also disrespects and does a disservice to the very people it seeks to portray.

Despite growing interest in and awareness about dementia, it is disappointing that there remains mainstream content being produced that do more damage than good and which furthers the stigma and discrimination of the dementia community.

Responsibility of Filmmakers to Make Informed Decisions

Dementia covers a broad spectrum. While there are some who are diagnosed with rare and progressive types of dementia, many others go on to live independent lives and remain cognitively functioning for a very long time despite dementia.

There is hardly an excuse for content producers to fall back on a sensationalised account of dementia, which often focuses solely on its debilitating effects on persons with a dementia diagnosis and their families.

As content producers… there is great responsibility in carefully and sensitively considering the intent and impact that their content has on the dementia community.

More importantly, they have the responsibility to flesh out more accurate and constructive on-screen portrayals of the subject matter, more so as persons living with physical or mental conditions are often marginalised and their experiences less heard.

If I could, some questions I would ask are: Does the content you create serve to educate or increase public awareness of dementia? Does it create more empathy and understanding towards persons who may not be able to think, act and feel according to the status quo? Would you paint this kind of storyline about yourself or your loved ones?

Hope For The Future

There are many great stories yet to be told about persons living with dementia who are living their best lives, many examples of persons living not only for themselves, but accomplishing great things that give hope and support to others living with dementia.

If I had a choice, my desire is to live my life to the fullest and enjoy my remaining abilities to do things I love with my family and dear friends.

I remain hopeful that with continuing advocacy efforts on dementia, more content producers and directors will respond to the call to depict characters and stories that affirm the dignity and
self-worth of persons with dementia.

This post was first published in Voice of Dementia (Vol.5), a newsletter by Dementia Singapore

ABOUT THE WRITER

Emily-Ong
EMILY ONG

Emily Ong is a trainer, speaker, workshop facilitator, and program developer in dementia-related topics based on lived experience, academic reading and grassroot involvement. She has been a co-facilitator of Dementia Singapore Voices for Hope program since 2019. Emily was also recently elected to the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) Board of Directors for the position of person with dementia. Additionally, she serves in the Global Review Panel of the ADI Accreditation Team and a focus group member of the WHO Global Dementia Observatory Knowledge Exchange.

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>> More blog posts by Emily Ong

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]]> Dementia Through My Eyes: An Art Installation on Dementia https://www.dementiahub.sg/blog/dementia-through-my-eyes/ Wed, 27 Jul 2022 03:24:08 +0000 https://www.dementiahub.sg/?p=2841 What is the experience of dementia like? A group of students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) addressed

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What is the experience of dementia like? A group of students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) addressed this question by creating Somewhere In This Fog of Memory, an art installation showing what life might be like from the inside of one person’s journey through dementia. We interviewed Nicolette and Zhansen, two undergraduates from the team behind the art installation, about their creative thought process and about how this project has changed their understanding of dementia.
What is Somewhere In This Fog of Memory?

Nicolette and Zhansen: Somewhere In This Fog of Memory is an interactive art installation about the emotional experience of dementia, from the perspective of a person living with dementia. A darkened room is filled with memory fog, amorphous and lingering; a book stands in the centre of the room, lit under the light of a single table lamp. This book is the soul of the person living with dementia, and turning the pages triggers a dancing figure, the shape of the soul, whole and unbroken, on the layers of memory fog before the book.

Why did you choose dementia and dementia progression as the subject matter of your art installation?

Nicolette: We started planning for this project 2 years into COVID. Two things inspired it – the very human need to connect and my own memories of my grandfather, who had dementia. It was harder to build new friendships during COVID, but many of us found a way to do so whether online or sparingly in real-life. And after talking to a doctor specialising about dementia, we realised that touch and connection can help in allowing someone living with dementia to feel cared for. I didn’t think much about my grandfather when I was younger, but as I get older, I’ve begun thinking more about him; this installation is my way of trying to understand him and dementia, perhaps a little too late, but it’s never too early to begin.

Visitors interacting with the installation

Why the choice of an art installation over other possible forms of expression? 

Nicolette and Zhansen: It was our final year project, and a commission for the NUS Arts Festival 2022. An art installation is also immersive; it allows the visitor to put themselves in the shoes of a person living with dementia, building empathy.

In light of the many possible reasons for this project, what was the main impetus for this project?

Nicolette and Zhansen: A way to make a specific point – we encountered a lot of literature and art about dementia that portrayed dementia as a tragedy and something that chipped away at the core of one’s being; we wanted to say something different, that the soul, what makes us human, and memory are two separate things.

Tell us about why your team made the creative choices you made when designing the installation.

Nicolette and Zhansen: We used a book motif to communicate the idea of a story in motion, and chose to separate the soul from the memory fog to communicate the idea of what makes a person a person being separate from memory, whether it is disintegrating or not. We also used watercolours to paint the book to invoke the ethereal nature of the soul. The music, though different at different stages, is one complete melody to represent the completeness of a life with dementia, even if different from a neurotypical life.

The book with interactive pages. When a page is flipped, a new segment of the installation’s videos begins playing. The book’s pages can only be flipped in one direction: forwards. The pages and corresponding videos mirror the experiences of a person through the stages of dementia in chronological order.

What have the different components of the installation meant to you and viewers of the installation? 

Nicolette and Zhansen: Some have cried, because the experience evokes their own experience of caring for loved ones with dementia. Others have said that it reminds them to treasure any time with their loved ones.

How has this project changed your relationship with dementia, and how you think people can relate to persons living with dementia?

Nicolette and Zhansen: At the beginning of our project, we only heard of dementia but did not know the details. Then we tried to interview experts such as Dr. Kua Ee Heok (Professor in Psychiatry & Neuroscience at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine). As we went through the journey, we have learned the different stages of dementia, how people with dementia are living, and how people take care of these people with dementia. I think this is a very valuable learning experience for us.

Zhansen: For Nicolette, I think she relates to persons living with dementia more than me. She knows her grandfather had dementia and she can feel more than I do. My grandmother also had dementia, but I only realized that while I was researching on this project. I wasn’t very aware of her dementia symptoms. I believe there are more people like me who have less awareness about dementia. When people know more about dementia, they are naturally more connected to people living with dementia.

What impact do you hope your art installation has had, and will continue to have?

Nicolette and Zhansen: We hope this installation may evolve, telling a story that includes other parts of a person’s life (such as falling in love) alongside the dementia that this person experiences; we don’t want portrayals of dementia to just be portrayals of tragedy.

What words might you have for fellow young persons who might be considering creating things about dementia, or who might do so in the future?

Nicolette: I don’t have much to say, but I think sensitivity to and nuance about the message you intend to put out is important. Research, whether in literature or otherwise is important. 

Zhansen: I think the most important thing is that we dared to try. We are also quite new to what dementia is, and there are many things to improve on. My approach is to create something about dementia first, then take feedback from different parties to improve on it. It’s never too late to begin!

This article has been lightly edited for clarity.

A part of the process for the creation of the installation’s video.

Sketches by team members for the installation’s animated videos.

The team hard at work during their installation set-up process.

ABOUT THE CREATOR

Nicolette Tan

Nicolette is a Year 4 NUS undergraduate with a double major in English literature and Innovation & Design, interested in public health, education and the arts. A dreamer at heart, she is especially enchanted by the works of Neil Gaiman and Frances Hardinge and would like you to know that a nice cup of coffee never goes amiss. When she is not buried in a book, she can be found trying to illustrate, or puzzle out a long string of code.

Shi Zhansen

Zhansen is a Year 4 undergraduate in NUS with a double major in Electrical Engineering and Innovation & Design. A fan of the works of Isaac Asimov, Cixin Liu and listening to opera, he can often be found running in NUS’s UTown or climbing a rock wall somewhere in Singapore. If you see him, do give him a wave – he is an extrovert and passionate about forging new friendships.

Read More

1. Participatory Arts

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