There’s a lot going on at the Dementia Simulation House.

We have some students back from last year. We have some new students on our team.

They are eager. They are smart. They voluntarily come in on Saturday mornings at 8am to do simulations. They are usually a step ahead of me.

But recently they told me something….they want more interaction with those living with dementia.

They work with students, community members, and family caregivers who come for simulations. They do trainings and presentations for businesses and organizations. But, overall, they don’t spend as much time as they’d like with people living with dementia.

We’re working on that.

But it’s something that resonates with me. We have education and support for caregivers. We offer very little for those living with dementia. (We are piloting a program to change this….details to come.)

Nationwide, it’s a problem. I was speaking to someone who works in the field for the state in a high-level position. He said we don’t do enough for people with dementia because we don’t know what to do with people with dementia.

Well, we need to figure it out. I recently met the husband of a woman in our dementia caregiver support group. He lives with dementia, and he voiced to me that he was jealous of wife. Through her group, she’d made friends and developed an outlet. He didn’t have anything similar.

He makes a fair point.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am certainly not saying that we do enough for caregivers; we do not. But we do even less for those living with dementia. We struggle to find counselors who will work with them. We know they often feel lonely and isolated, but we are challenged to find what works to help them connect with others.

We have Memory Cafes and similar programs. There are several wonderful programs in my local community. We are moving in the right direction. Perhaps just not quickly enough. Many people still have the idea that any effort in terms of prevention, intervention, or programming for those with dementia is a waste.

Will they even remember this?

Are they capable of doing this?

What if someone is having a bad day and is disruptive to the group?

Why would we put our resources toward people with a disease that will progress–no matter what we do?

Those aren’t good enough reasons. It’s time we step up our game.