'I'll Never Forget This': Grandma With Dementia Treated to Underwater Surprise

A New South Wales grandmother with dementia was treated to an aquarium surprise from the comfort of her family’s home as she self-isolated with them on Mother’s Day.

The van Genderen family, from Forresters Beach, had been in lockdown due to COVID-19 and had to get creative to celebrate Mother’s Day with 87-year-old Hendrika van Genderen, who has Alzheimers disease and Vascular Dementia.

Hendrika’s son, Jason van Genderen, re-created one of his favourite childhood memories of family trips to Sydney Aquarium.

By taping sheets of paper to their windows and projecting sea life aquarium visuals from inside their house, the family was able to create a stunning underwater experience and put a smile on the much-loved oma’s face.

“Ooh, that’s unbelievable,” Hendrika can be heard saying in video shared by Jason showing the special moment.

“Jason, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it and it’s so beautiful,” she says, adding that it’s a moment she will “never forget”.

While the experience was a special one, Hendrika’s condition meant she could not remember the event in the morning but, having captured it on video, Jason ensured his mother would be able to relive the moment over again.

A month earlier the family created a make-believe supermarket in their home, enabling their grandmother to complete her weekly shopping routine. Credit: Jason van Genderen via Storyful