Dementia Action Week and the Joey Scouts
John Thorpe, a Dementia Advocate with an extensive teaching history and a former Scout leader, shared his experience with the Joey Scouts from the Reynella Scout group in South Australia.
As part of Dementia Action Week John, together with Liz Withall (Community Development Officer, Dementia-Friendly Communities) spent time with 16 Joey Scouts, three Joey Scout Leaders as well as six parents who stayed during the session.
John shared his experiences at sea, including photos of vessels that had sailed during his time in the Navy. He also taught the children a nautical-based team building activity and supported discussions about the brain, debunking myths about dementia and how we can support people living with dementia.
He was very generous in his discussions about his own diagnosis and answered questions.
Photo: L-R Decan Wendland, Shane Wendland, Emma Withall, John Thorpe, Dementia Advocate