MARSHALL — Dementia will be in the spotlight next month as the subject of a one act play production to be performed at the Marshall-Lyon County Library.

A locally written play called Moments of Joy will take place Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. in the library’s community room. It is a collaborative effort involving the library, Boulder Creek, the Marshall Dementia Awareness Network and A.C.E. of Lyon County.

The play was written this summer by Maureen Keimig,a frequent participant in Marshal Area Stage Company productions. She chose to write the play because of personal experience.

“One of my neighbors had dementia,” Keimig said. “It was hard for me. I can imagine how much harder it is for family members.”

The play will feature an elderly woman named Carol who faces dementia. Other characters include her husband, children and a teenage grandchild.

The family copes with Carol’s dementia to the best of its ability. As they do so, they show the difficulties associated with a disease that slowly takes an elderly person away from loved ones.

“Families have to take it one step at a time one day at a time,” Keimig said. “The person with dementia is not the same person as in the past. It requires patience and adjustments.”

Boulder Creek Director Jan Mason advised Keimig as she wrote the script. Mason and Keimig will be co-directors. They are currently casting performers by invitation.

Mason said the title for the play comes from a book by author Jolene Brackley called Creating Moments of Joy. She said a main goal is to show the perspectives of several generations of family members.

“Dementia affects the entire family,” Mason said. “They usually aren’t all in the same place when it comes to acceptance of the situation or knowledge of dementia. Family dynamics is often an enormous issue.”

She said dementia is often especially difficult for spouses of the people who are sick. Spouses will often hide details from family members. Sometimes they become ill because of the strain of serving as caregivers.

Facts about dementia will be shared in the play programs. Mason hopes that the production will be both educational and entertaining.

The play will be entered into a national contest involving dementia portrayals. Winners of the contest receive grants for dementia education.

Project leaders will consider making the one act play an annual event with new aspects of dementia portrayed each year if the production this fall attracts public interest.

“We’re trying a different medium than a brochure or fact sheet,” Mason said. “Hopefully we can reach people through the arts. They’re likely to connect with the topic by seeing it acted out on stage.”