A local organisation is in the process of creating visual aid cards to help assist those who suffer from dementia, in local stores across Falmouth.
‘Communication Cards’ is a non-profit organisation that is producing visual aid cards they are calling money boards; boards with enlarged visualisations of money to help identify what the different notes and coins are.
The organisation is led by Maisie Marshall, a graduating Press and Editorial student and Cornish native from Penzance.
(A prototype Money Board)“It started in second year when I filmed a documentary on a husband who was caring for his wife with dementia, but I didn’t feel that was actually helping anyone so I started making the communication cards,” Marshall explained. “It’s to help with memory and as the illness gets worse, their speech too. A lot of the time dementia sufferers will know what they’re trying to do or say they just need to jog their memory.”
“I’m going out to local stores; smaller, independent stores. I know some of the bigger stores already have similar boards but the independent stores don’t get the same funding as big chains,” said Marshall.