Looking back.
All of us talk about our past. It’s a way of reminding ourselves of the happy and the sad times in our lives, of connecting with people through conversation and sharing our experiences. But for people with dementia, reminiscence can bring stimulation, happiness and peace of mind. You First meets three CIC Senior Care homes who use the past to help their residents enjoy a happier present.
“Dementia affects a person’s memory and causes great confusion,” explains Julie Lindsay, Deputy Manager of Pemberton Fold. “Because of this many people with the condition feel immense frustration at not being able to properly recall or interpret things, and this inevitably leads to them feeling like they are losing their sense of identity.”
Yet remarkably, often people who have even advanced dementia and very poor short-term memory, still have strong recollections of their past, and this is where reminiscence sessions can play an important role in the care and support delivered to them. Julie explains, “By talking to people about their lives and using familiar items from the past as prompts, we can engage with people, stimulate their long-term memories and lift their mood.”
This in turn all helps to overcome their feelings of confusion and frustration, giving them a sense of peace and bringing back their sense of identity.
She continues, “As well as being of remarkable benefit to our residents, reminiscence is also a fantastic way for
staff to really get to know the people they support, their personality and their history, and to use this information to deliver excellent care.”
Thinking outside of the box
One innovative way that Pemberton Fold delivers reminiscence is through helping residents to make their own ‘memory boxes’ - wooden Perspex fronted presentation cases filled with mementos of their life. Julie explains, “Everyone keeps items that are sentimentally precious to themselves - photographs, letters and keepsakes from happy and even sad times. We help our residents to create their own memory boxes filled with items that they have collected throughout their lifetime.”
Many residents use their memory boxes to display things that remind them of key moments in their life, like photographs of their children when they were younger, war medals or even ration books. “We can use these items to start conversations that spark memories – ‘Is this your son as a baby in this photograph?’ or ‘What sort of food could you get with your ration book',” Julie says.
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This helps to build a remarkable bond between residents and the people who support them. “Residents love working with staff to create the memory boxes and having staff take such an active interest in their lives. But more than this, our staff genuinely enjoy developing a more intimate understanding of the person they are caring for, hearing the fascinating stories that make the person who they are and building closer relationships with them.”
A collection of memories Such has been the incredible success of reminiscence at the home that staff, along with families of residents, have helped to build a dedicated reminiscence area filled with a vast array of familiar objects from the past. “We’ve been given all sorts of amazing items like old cameras, black and white photographs of the local area, and even packaging from produce like Sunlight Soap,” says Julie.
For family members, visiting a loved one who is in a state of confusion can be a distressing experience but by having these objects from the past, they are given a talking point and a way to
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