Berlin Zoo tour brings joy to dementia patients
Christel Krueger peered through thick glass and murky water at the Berlin Zoo, staring in awe at a mother hippopotamus and her child sleeping on a sandbar.
Krueger, 86, and her daughter were on a specialised zoo tour last month for people who live with dementia that was organised by Malteser Deutschland, part of the international Catholic aid organisation Malteser Order of Malta.
On the tour with Krueger, Ingrid Barkow watched from her wheelchair as the elephants roamed their habitat, while Monika Jansen balanced on her tiptoes to get a better view of a rhinoceros.
“When I get home, I’ll still be thinking about it,” said Jansen, 85.
“Maybe even at night, while I’m sleeping and dreaming about it.”
The three women are among roughly 1.6 million people living with dementia in Germany, according to the Office of the National Dementia Strategy.
The figure is expected to rise to 2.8 million by 2050.
Museums and other cultural institutions across the globe have added specialised, barrier-free tours and guides to their repertoire in recent years, some made possible.
