Activities for people living with dementia People living with dementia should have access to a wide range of carefully considered and meaningful things to do that reflect their hobbies, interests and life experiences. This might include group activities, one to one engagement, or being supported to do things on their own if this is something they would enjoy. By focussing on a person’s likes, dislikes and what makes them happy you can plan activities that the person will enjoy and find stimulating. It could be that the person used to dance when they were younger, so taking them to a dance show or competition, or watching or talking about dancing could be entertaining. Perhaps they used to work as a chef and would enjoy a trip to a favourite restaurant or cooking a favourite meal with support. It’s important to make sure the activity is something that the person can be active in, to ensure they don’t feel like they can no longer take part in that favourite hobby or interest. At Anchor, we see every interaction as an opportunity to actively engage with our residents, conversations about memories or experiences all add to our understanding of the individual, their likes, dislikes, funny or exciting memories they may want to share. LIFE STORIES At Anchor, we encourage our residents to create their Life Story which could take the form of a photo album, a scrap book or a memory box. Developing Life Stories for people living with dementia enables the people caring for them to understand more about their personality, feelings, loved ones, experiences and future aspirations, along with topics that may make the person sad or upset. This helps support with daily tasks, reminiscence and reassurance. It’s important to add to a Life Story on an ongoing basis to reflect things learnt and new experiences.. CREATE A MEMORY BOX Memory boxes help people living with dementia to recall fond memories of people and events from the past. These boxes are specially designed to help conjure up memories that can get a conversation started and stimulate happy emotions. Memory boxes are most effective when they’re filled with personal items that have significant meaning to the individual. We encourage everyone at our care homes to have a memory box, and recommend that these are filled with:
We encourage everyone at our care homes to have a memory box
• Items that have a strong connection to a memory, for example holiday souvenirs or a photo of a wedding or special family occasion • Captions that explain each item clearly, to further prompt memories and conversation • A variety of items, from ornaments to artwork, news clippings to music tapes • Items that engage different senses with different materials, smells, sounds and colours. In some cases it’s best to avoid anything sharp, heavy, or difficult to handle
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