Continuing their aim to promote awareness of and reduce stigma against dementia through common activities, Alzheimer Larissa organised a field trip on 7 November 2019, bringing together locals, mobile residents of the Municipal Elderly Care Home and community dwelling older people living with dementia.
The group all travelled together to the Annual Open Air Force exhibition. They strolled around the exhibition panels, which were dedicated to showing the history of the Air Force, their daily training, as well as their involvement in the city’s social life. Residents of the Municipal Elderly Care Home discovered that “their home” was on display, depicting a previous visit of Air Force officers during festivities. It was a pleasant coincidence, which gave the residents the confidence to interact with the staff and enquire further about the exhibits.
The group chatted to both the pilots and the ground personnel, discussing the velocity of the aircrafts, how long they could fly for, whether fighter jets have one seat or may accommodate multiple persons, and whether they can use them to fly to the Greek islands, to visit their relatives. They also met one of the world’s few fighter model-makers, who talked enthusiastically about his passion for flight, and about how he builds replicas from scratch.
It was a hot sunny day, and many waited under the gazebos for the air show to start. Some were attracted by the planes on sight and were brave enough to climb the stairs and enjoy a close look at the pilot seat together with the numerous children that visited the show. Others wandered around the rescue or firefighting aircrafts, or waited under the ground control stations of unmanned aircraft vehicles. Although some had arranged to leave early for lunch, the sound of plane engines kept them motivated. The visit was a huge success. Everyone really enjoyed the air show. The staff was also kind enough to provide the group with a bus for their belated departure, as well as arranging for commemorative photos to be taken.
