A special guided tour at the Berlin Zoo is helping people living with dementia reconnect with familiar surroundings and enjoy moments of calm, memory and joy.
Eighty-six-year-old Christel Krueger and her daughter were among participants last month in a program organized by Malteser Deutschland, part of the international Catholic aid group Order of Malta.
Standing by the glass of a hippo enclosure, Krueger watched a mother hippopotamus and her calf resting in the water. Nearby, other participants observed elephants and rhinos at a relaxed pace designed to avoid stress or confusion.
“I’ll still be thinking about it when I go home,” said 85-year-old Ingrid Jansen, describing how the experience stayed with her.
The initiative is part of a growing global effort to make cultural spaces more accessible for people with disabilities, including those with dementia, hearing or visual impairments, and autism.
Organizers say traditional tours are often too fast and overwhelming. These special visits instead focus on fewer exhibits, slower movement and sensory experiences such as sounds and smells that can help trigger memories.
“People with dementia are often not visible in society,” said Christine Gruschka, who helps coordinate the program. “They still deserve to take part in public life, feel included and be seen.”
Millions of people worldwide live with dementia, a condition that affects memory, thinking and daily functioning. In Germany alone, around 1.6 million people are affected, a number expected to rise significantly in the coming decades.
The Berlin program includes visits not only to the zoo but also to museums and historic sites, with plans to expand further.
For families and caregivers, the tours also offer emotional support. Relatives say shared experiences like these help them connect in new ways with loved ones who are gradually losing cognitive abilities.
“I can’t communicate with her the same way anymore, but I can see she notices things and responds,” said Manuela Grudda, whose mother participated in the tour. “That means a lot to me.”
Organizers say such programs help ensure that people with dementia remain part of everyday social and cultural life rather than being isolated.