A series of ‘real life’ videos aims to raise awareness of dementia in Melville, which has the second highest rate of people living with the condition across councils in WA.

The three videos show dementia sufferers visiting a cafe, bank and supermarket, and how they can be affected by other people’s reactions and lack of awareness.

In one video we see an apathetic teenager at a checkout and a young shopper getting impatient with a dementia sufferer struggling to pay for his groceries.

In another video a woman has difficulty ordering from a menu, while the ‘Bank’ video shows a man with dementia getting angry and confused.

The Melville community pitched in to help make the videos as realistic as possible, with casting held at the Melville Theatre Company and local community actors featuring in all of the videos. 

The city also got expert advice from Mind The Change, a a not-for-profit that helps dementia sufferers, to ensure the films were realistic and that actors understood the behaviours and symptoms of dementia.

“A retired employee whose partner lives with dementia helped write the video scripts to ensure a true lived experience of dementia is portrayed in the videos,” Melville mayor George Gear says.

“Supporting people living with dementia is a whole community effort, and it is important we feel empowered and know how to be there for each other.”

A quiz was also developed to help businesses learn about dementia, and how they can make life easier for customers living with the condition. 

For more info visit melvillecity.com.au/our-community/age-friendly-melville/melville-age-friendly-accessible-business-network