Willeke van Staalduinen
On September 22, 2022 AFEdemy organised a workshop in Vledder (Drenthe). The workshop took place within the frame of the conference organised by the ‘Knowledge Network Population Decline Groningen Friesland Drenthe’.
The workshop was visited by older people, (in)formal caregivers, social workers and researchers. During the workshop the participants played several scenes of the BIG game and discussed the proposed suggestions and outcomes of the game. Overall they really appreciated the game and thought it is of value to play to become more sensitive to people’s needs in case of a certain condition or impairment.
The participants were especially interested in the cultural differences between the countries the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Portugal that occurred while writing and discussing the scenes with the partners. For example the supermarkets in the Netherlands are relatively small compared to Poland. Separated restrooms are missing in the Netherlands and most supermarkets don’t have a restaurant. Another cultural difference was Ewa diagnosed with dementia travelling alone to her daughter. The wearing of a bracelet explaining that someone is diagnosed with dementia in some countries is well recieved, where in the Netherlands for example it is not done. Also the situation that people with dementia are travelling alone, raised some eyebrows in other countries.