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maltatoday WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2017 News 8 SOCIAL EVENTS, SEASONAL PARTIES... Looking for a venue-wi-a-difference for your event? Gianpula Village offers a range of original and unique venues perfect for creating at memorable occasion. To make an enquiry or book a show round call (356) 9974 8923 or email sales@gianpulavillage.com www.gianpulavillage.com CORPORATE EVENTS CLUB HOUSE • VAULT • PENTHOUSE Animated series brings musings of the elderly to life New animation project features elderly people narrating own experiences as part of series aimed at helping dementia sufferers recall the past TIA RELJIC A new local project aimed at helping dementia sufferers re- call the past is being launched this week by a number of activ- ists and creative artists, who have opted for animated mov- ies as the medium of choice in their effort to to engage with the elderly community and provide a platform for them to share their stories. Ghidli Storja is the result of cooperation between Green- house Malta and Reciprocal, and consists of 12 episodes of five minutes each which will be made available on social media platforms. The aim is to stimulate critical thinking and discussions on current topics in the context of realising and understanding what was lost through the narratives of peo- ple who have lived through a different time. It is estimated that there are 16 million people with demen- tia living in the world right now, and recalling the past is often an affirming exercise for suffer- ers. Dementia patients respond positively to familiarity, which is why Ghidli Storja sought out in- teresting stories narrated by the protagonists themselves. Reciprocal's Nicholas Grima told MaltaToday that storytell- ing was a powerful tool for ra- tionalising strings of thought in a coherent manner. "It engages different areas of the brain and stimulates differ- ent responses. Dementia patients have trouble processing tradi- tional information mostly be- cause the context is not clear to them. Narration and visual cues present in a visual medium such as short animation may provide the patient with an easier con- text for them to rationalise and relate to," he said. "Dementia pa- tients sometimes struggle with facial recognition. Animated movies transcend that problem." The project also holds cultural value, as Maltese society experi- ences the steady decline of past forms of elocution. This is a nat- ural progression as newer gen- erations impose their new way of speaking. "It is a shame to not maintain an accessible record of the way our older relatives expressed themselves. Ghidli Storja aims to capture this and present it in a fun and interest- ing way for the general public," Grima said. Using the words of the elderly subjects as narration also pro- vides a brand of elocution which is no longer in use. "This may resonate well with patients, since this is the kind of language they lived with in the past," he said. The programme aims to pro- vide a 'witness report' by people who lived through these anach- ronistic experiences first hand, while also offering a concise portrait of an individual who would probably remain obscure to the general public otherwise. "This serves to provoke a feel- ing of 'sonder' – the profound realisation that everyone around us has a story of their own in which they are the main charac- ter," Grima said. The project, which is being funded by Komunitajiet Kreat- tivi and the Malta Arts Council, will be officially launched at La Victoria Band Club in Mellieha this Friday at 7.30pm.