Supporting Eating and Drinking – Resource for Carers

Eating and Drinking Guidance for Carers

This booklet has been designed for all who support someone living with the later stages of dementia. It has been developed by a leading team of researchers and health & social care professionals including GP’s, speech & language therapists and palliative care experts. It has also taken into consideration the views and experiences of people with dementia. 

As dementia (and diseases like multiple sclerosis) advance, it is typical for people to experience difficulties around eating, drinking and swallowing. This booklet explains the physical and psychological reasons for these issues and offers a comprehensive series of strategies and resources to support carers & guide their discussions with key health professionals.  

With helpful tips on nutrition, how to offer food/drink and when to seek help, it also includes topics ranging from oral health to end of life hydration. An invaluable resource that has clearly been developed with considerable input from a leading team of experts in the field. 

Click here to download

In conversation with Anna Park

I first met Anna through the dementia care awards, when I was one of the judges and she was representing one of the shortlisted companies. Impressed by her passion and drive, I started to follow Anna on Twitter, and soon saw how she brings that same passion and drive to the wide range of issues that she cares about, whether it’s nature, dementia care or circle dancing!

So I’m delighted that Anna is now working with us to improve people’s experience of care, and I’m sure you’ll find her comments and observations here as insightful and thought-provoking as I did.

What first drew you to the world of care?

I think it has to be said that experiencing a vicarage childhood meant care homes, hospitals and hospices were familiar places to me from an early age. This no doubt gave me an understanding of life’s challenges, an ability to sit and talk to anyone and a determination to always try and see the person and listen to their stories rather than focus on appearances or diagnoses.

During my degree, I had a wonderful placement teaching in a special school and a summer volunteering in a day centre for young adults with learning disabilities. I had fully expected to train as an English teacher and specialise in SEN but these experiences and a temporary position working in a Mencap group home changed my direction and shaped my understanding of what person-centred care could and shouldn’t look like. I realised then that there was far more needing to be done to train and support adults in care than I could achieve in the mainstream classroom.

I went on to take the position of a Day Services Social Worker in a Multi-Purpose Day Centre where I joined a fabulous team of passionate creatives who fully recognised the value and contribution of every individual. There was a clear focus on self-advocacy, accessing the arts and fulfilling individual potential. For eight years I ran sessions in collaborative song-writing, IT/magazine production, symbol/communication techniques, skills for work as well as dance and drama performances for all ages and abilities. The aim was always to support people to develop the skills and confidence to create, express themselves and fulfil long term goals.

The opportunity to install and assess the learning opportunities provided by a new interactive sensory music & coloured light system became the subject of my Post Grad study (P.G.C.P.C.E) and led to my next position as a consultant and trainer at OptiMusic and later OM Interactive. It was my work developing the Mobii interactive table that would further immerse me in the world of dementia care.

From a family viewpoint I was also being drawn into the world of care through the experiences of my grandparents, one on each side developing dementia whilst in their 80s. My Grandad’s lifeline in care was continuing to play his keyboard, having spent his whole life playing the organ for his local church. For my Grandma, a teacher, collector and keen gardener, it was important that she was surrounded by familiar objects and photos and had essential access to a garden. I continue to advocate the vital importance of fresh air and nature to anyone who will listen! The years my Mother worked as a care home relief manager also gave me an insight into the daily demands and rewards of life working in a care home.

You work / have worked with some other great organisations, can you tell us a bit more?

Yes, my work with sensory technology, from the mid 90s onwards, led to some exciting collaborations working alongside the creators of the first interactive musical light beams (OptiMusic) and then pioneering the use of interactive projection technology in dementia care (OM Interactive). I had always been passionate that music and the arts should be accessible by everyone, and my Post Graduate research evidenced the enormous benefits of using technology to give people creative control.

It has been exciting to be part of a new era in person-centred technology, I thoroughly enjoyed developing the content and purpose of the Mobii interactive table and researching its effect on people’s emotional and physical wellbeing. It was very humbling to have this work acknowledged as the Most Outstanding Product at the Dementia Care Awards in 2018.

However, my years in sensory product development have also taught me the huge importance of training, care culture and emotional intelligence. Any interactive tool relies on the skills and abilities of those using it, the more person-centred the session delivery, the greater the response. No product can be a ‘fix all’, they have to be in the right hands, our carers are still our greatest resource.

I have been very lucky to meet some incredible people in the world of dementia care. I was particularly honoured to be asked to become a Special Adviser (Learning Disability Inclusion and Technology) for NAPA last year. NAPA (The National Activity Providers Association) is a charity who do so much to support and promote the delivery of meaningful activities in care with quality resources, training & guidance, newsletters/magazines, a helpline, annual conference and a fabulous awards ceremony; recognising the skills and dedication of care staff nationally. So I was more than delighted to join the NAPA team in a voluntary capacity.

Intergenerational work and exposing ageism are areas I am particularly passionate about, there is so much we can learn and gift to one another over the life course. As a Trustee of the charity Ready Generations I’m looking forward to encouraging greater connection across all generations with innovative community projects, an intergenerational nursery in a care home and research-led investigations aiming to shift perspectives and value the contributions of everyone.

As a teacher I still enjoy piano tutoring, particularly when that means re-igniting someone’s passion for playing. I have weekly sessions with a lady who is living with vascular dementia which have been both moving and joyful for both of us. I also call ceilidhs and barn dances as Hedgerow Tipple, which for me is the perfect way to share my love of music and dance with all ages and abilities.

What is it about Mycarematters that made you agree to work with us?

I have admired your mission to improve the experience of care since we first met at the National Dementia Care Awards in 2018. Your determination to ensure the needs of your late husband were made known to all staff in his care homes and hospital resonated so strongly with me. Having also lost a close family member to a progressive disease I understood the daily challenge of ensuring care remained person-centred when speech had virtually gone. Our family experienced the same frustrations and miscommunications whilst also recognising the difficulties staff faced when vital information was locked away in a file on an office shelf.

Honouring someone’s personal preferences can make the difference between a good day and a bad day. We experienced first-hand the consequences of information not being passed on with one oversight by cover staff sadly leading to a serious injury.  We would certainly have used Remember-I’m-Me Care Charts if we had known about them at the time. It’s so important for all carers to have an at-a-glance snapshot of needs and preferences and for families to be reassured that what’s important for their loved ones is actively shared and understood.

I also believe that Mycarematters profiles are important for encouraging conversation and connection, a reminder to always acknowledge the person directly and explain what’s happening rather than carrying out physical care tasks in silence. As a supporter of the Butterfly Approach I believe sharing this sort of information is essential for maintaining a sense of identity and belonging. We made sure that Sarah’s O.T certificate was above her bed alongside important photos including one of her proudly completing a helicopter flying lesson. These insights help carers to see the person behind the condition and talk about things that will be meaningful for them.

More recently I have been impressed by the My Future Care Handbook, an interactive guide which we personally found useful when navigating difficult conversations with my Mother-in-law, helping us to record her care and end of life preferences. A fabulous piece of work that everyone should be encouraged to complete for peace of mind about the future!

As a not-for-profit social enterprise I admire the ethos of Mycarematters and fully support their aim to celebrate the work of other small organisations who similarly strive to improve the care experience for all. So plenty of reasons to want to join the team!

What have you got planned for Mycarematters and its customers?

Well, firstly I hope to build on the fabulous work that’s already been done by continuing to raise awareness of our social enterprise and its mission to provide solutions, training and resources to improve the experience of care.

I also plan to expand our offering by inviting partner organisations to showcase their products, guides and training resources, because there is so much good work out there that deserves a wider audience. My monthly newsletter will help to keep our customers informed of our latest additions with specialist insights and our latest news and product updates.

I’d love to see Mycarematters become a hub of excellence, a first point of call for our care providers to source reliable information and a wide variety of tried and tested tools to help them deliver person-centred care to the people they support.

I’m also very conscious that Rogers & Kitwood’s term ‘person-centred care’ is in danger of being watered down through over-use, becoming synonymous with simply ‘caring’. I think it’s vital for us to focus on what it truly means i.e. to place someone at the ‘centre’ of their care, to see the world from their viewpoint and imagine how they are feeling; to literally climb into their chair. I’m reminded of Sara Livadeas becoming a resident in a Fremantle Trust care home when she was appointed CEO. A fabulous way to try and understand how it felt to live in one of their homes.

As the newest member of the team I’m conscious that any fresh initiatives will stay true to the Mycarematters ethos, supporting people in care to always feel included, valued and their presence acknowledged, regardless of cognitive or communication difficulties.

I look forward to supporting all our customers, sharing their stories and acting on any feedback so we can continue to improve the quality of our products and services. Carers, both paid and unpaid, are doing the most incredible work everyday, they are the greatest resource of all and our aim must be to support them with the right tools and guidance to carry out their important work to the best of their ability so the caring experience is better for everyone.

 

Report highlights person-centred care as key factor in treating depression

A joint report from the British Geriatrics Society and the Royal College of Psychiatrists has been published which showcases examples of best practice. The illustrations flow from effective interdisciplinary practice in treating depression in older people living in care homes.

The aim of the ‘Depression among older people living in care homes’ report is to explore the ways in which geriatricians, old age psychiatrists and allied health professionals are working together to overcome the specific challenges that arise when treating depression in older people living in this community.

Access the full report here…

How difficult can it be to draw a star?

I was introduced to this little exercise at a recent regional Dementia Action Alliance meeting, and thought others might also find it useful; care home managers may like to do it with their staff.

Click here to print a star on to both sides of enough sheets of paper to provide one to each person, and on one side invite them to draw an unbroken line between the two stars, thereby drawing a third star, without taking their pen off the paper. They are unlikely to find that too difficult. Then, ask them to turn it over, position a mirror (you’ll find suitable ones in Poundland apparently!) at the top of the paper on the table in front of them so that the star is in view in the mirror, and ask them to do the same thing, but this time only looking in the mirror.

The idea is to create a sense of what it must be like to live with dementia where you are unable to complete what seems like a simple task. Don’t be surprised to see people experience shame, embarrassment, frustration, irritation, impatience… exactly what people living with dementia experience every day.

Please Tell Me… a new Life Story book

We are often told that nothing can beat our Care Charts for getting information in front of everyone interacting with a person, but that’s not to say the learning should stop there. Our charts provide a snap-shot, at-a-glance view of a person’s needs and preferences, but should not be thought of as a replacement for life story work.
Regardless of whether it is family or staff members who spend time with a person to collect their memories and what matters to them now, the process can be extremely rewarding for both parties. And that information can of course help carers provide personalised and appropriate care, either in someone’s home or in a care home.
So we were very excited to see John’s Campaign new book Please Tell Me… a place to help someone share a childhood memory, the words of a favourite song, what made them happy in their early years. It is designed to follow the chronology of the person’s life, and the open questions provide opportunities for conversations.

Available as single books or in packs of 10. Click here to purchase…

 

Care Homes can now join John’s Campaign

Why should care homes join John’s Campaign?

by Julia Jones, co-founder of John’s Campaign

It’s a perfectly reasonable question – John’s Campaign started as a campaign for carer access to people with dementia in the acute hospital sector. My friend Nicci Gerrard’s father, Dr John Gerrard, had been living well with Alzheimer’s for almost ten years when he was admitted to hospital to have treatment for his leg ulcers. It was a hospital with old-fashioned restricted visiting hours, which were further curtailed by a noro-virus outbreak elsewhere in the hospital and a knee-jerk “no visitors” restriction.  He went in, “strong, mobile, smiling, able to tell stories about his past, to work in his garden and help with things round the house”. No one realised how his family support had helped him maintain these abilities. So no-one challenged the visiting restriction. No-one in the hospital though it odd that Dr Gerrard was simply lying in bed, passive, bewildered, almost certainly in a dangerous state of hypo-delirium because no-one in the hospital knew that he wasn’t always like that. They didn’t realise he could have been enjoying poetry or a game of chess. There were no rehabilitation beds available so they decided to keep him in hospital for longer.

Five weeks later Nicci and her family got their father home: “skeletal, incontinent, immobile, incoherent.”  He barely knew those around him and required 24 hour care for the rest of his life.  “Would we have left one of our children un-visited in hospital for 5 weeks?” Nicci and I asked one another. And so, after Dr Gerrard’s death in November 2014, John’s Campaign was born, insisting that the family carers of people with dementia should be welcome in hospital at any time.  Not just allowed but welcomed, 24/7 if necessary. Family carers (whether or not they are actually “family”) have a wealth of knowledge to share on behalf of the person who is no longer able to communicate reliably for him or herself. They are an essential part of that person’s team.

Superficially the situation in residential care feels quite different. Very often someone is moving into a home because they can no longer manage in the community, even with the help of their family. Family may be exhausted, despairing, guilt-wracked. Perhaps it seems kind to wave them away “Don’t worry, we’ll take it from here. You go home and take a break. We’ll let you know how s/he gets on.”

Alternatively you could think that families and friends are needed more than ever – but they are needed differently. They are needed to share information about the new resident, they are needed to maintain his or her sense of self-worth, to reassure them that they are still loved, they have not been abandoned. They are needed to bring “familiarity” to these strange surroundings. And, ideally, the shared responsibility with the care home can offer family members a chance to rediscover quality in a relationship that may have been damaged by illness, stress and tiredness.

I can imagine a care home manager sighing with exasperation at this point. “All this is true but we can’t MAKE the families come. There’s nothing stopping them but they just don’t bother!”

That’s a very good reason to join John’s Campaign.  Be part of a national movement,  put a certificate in the hall, write a letter to your families, and tell them that you’ve done this thing because they matter, you need them, their relative needs them, they need to stay part of the team. Families are the “third force” in residential care.

You can only join John’s Campaign if you know you welcome families at any time (with all sensible security arrangements, obviously). Then pledge your welcome in 50 words or less either by using the John’s Campaign pledge page or by emailing julia-jones@talk21.com .  You’ll be added to the Observer newspaper national list and to the interactive map on our website www.johnscampaign.org.uk

 

Oreo, spreading happiness and joy

Orleo the cat

How Therapy Cats Can Bring Countless Joys to Older Adults.

St Augustine Health Ministries, a nursing home in Cleveland, Ohio, has a very unusual 4-legged occupant, Oreo the cat. Previously a stray cat, Oreo has become a beloved member of the St Augustine family. Her main job is to keep everyone happy. The residents love having her around and enjoy taking photos of her, something which stimulates their creativity, while employees can’t help but smile when they see the black and white feline doing her rounds at the home.

Many of the residents had to leave their beloved pets behind when they moved into the home, one of the challenges facing elderly people who choose to make the transition into a care facility. Oreo the nursing home cat lends a personal touch to the environment, making residents feel more at home. Here are some of the many ways in which having a cat around can improve the quality of life of nursing home residents.

Mood improvement

Elderly people often become lonely and depressed and cats are ideal to help them overcome this loneliness by offering independent companionship, affection, entertainment and a sense of responsibility.  It’s a known fact that cats can lighten any mood and lend purpose to the lives of anyone who comes into contact with them.

Improved health

Cats generally require fairly little human care but the care they do require results in much-needed exercise among older people. Even those suffering from arthritis or with other physical limitations can care for cats without too much effort. Caring for a cat may call for new activities and routines that are important for both mental and physical stimulation. Caring for an animal is very rewarding and can be of great benefit to the overall health of the older generation, to the extent where it can help them live longer.

Why cats and not dogs?

  • Dogs also make for great pets but they require a lot more general care, training and exercise than cats do, things that elderly people are simply not always up to.  Cats are definitely a more suitable pet option for a nursing home environment for the following reasons:
  • Cats are generally more than happy to remain indoors for most part, unlike dogs.
  • Cats require approximately 20 minutes of playtime a day which does not necessitate the owner being mobile. Cats are more than capable of entertaining themselves with the help of kitty-friendly toys such as a ball of yarn or a wind-up mouse.
  • Cats enjoy sleeping on a human’s lap or bed and don’t require a special bed like most dogs prefer.

Pet ownership brings a great deal of joy to the elderly and should be encouraged when viable. The benefits, both emotional and physical, speak for themselves and in terms of companionship now one will be more loving and loyal than a much-cherished pet.

Photo by kitsanoo on Unsplash

Many thanks to Lucy Wyndham for sharing this story.

Sport: have we forgotten it?

Sporting Memories

by Emma Harris

We’ve all experienced that feeling when our muscles remember how to do something we thought our minds had forgotten, perhaps riding a bike or swinging a tennis racket. We may assume that an individual with dementia soon loses access to these memories along with names, places or facts, but our motor memories (or muscle memories) are actually amongst the last parts of our brains to be affected by dementia. This means that an individual may still be able to recall movements stored long ago in their muscle memories. Lisa Krieger of Mercury News tells the story of Jim Byerlee, an 84-year-old living with dementia, who was taken to play golf by his care home staff. Jim was able to swing a golf club with all the accomplishment of a retired athlete.

The Sporting Memories Foundation
Intergenerational reminiscence with The Sporting Memories Foundation

Like Jim, everyone has been touched by sport in some way, whether playing it, watching it, on TV or attending live events. As Tony Jameson-Allen, co-founder and director of The Sporting Memories Foundation, says ‘You don’t have a choice, everyone has memories of sport’. Sporting Memories advocate the importance of sport, not only to keep older people active, but as a way to encourage positive emotions and a sense of community through reminiscence. They work with care homes, libraries and other communities to organise groups sessions at which older people can discuss their own experiences of sport. Sporting Memories provides resources and training to staff to help them trigger memories and draw on the positive emotional impact sport can have. As Jameson-Allen explains, ‘one of the best ways to spark memories is other people’s memories’; they focus on the strengths of people with dementia: their long-term memories.

Sporting Memories discovered that talking about sport motivated participants to be active, and now organises reminiscence sessions followed by physical activities, including walking, football and curling. Joyce, a 96-year-old erstwhile ice dancer, is one such motivated person. She was taken to an ice rink by a member of her care home staff and, by using an adaptive frame, was able to experience all the sensations of being on the ice again.

Physical movement can play a vital role in improving the quality of life of an individual with dementia. It encourages physical and mental stimulation, can prevent depression and assists with sleep. Many organisations have discovered the power of active care and the numerous ways it can be tailored for all ages and abilities.

Table tennis for dementia
The BAT Foundation offers a ‘drug-free’ therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Bat Foundation describes exercise, or more specifically table tennis, as a ‘drug free Alzheimer’s therapy’. As part of their research, a team of neurologists took MRI scans to compare the brains of people with dementia who play table tennis and those who don’t. The scans revealed that certain parts of the brain light up dramatically in those who had just played table tennis; the concentration and co-ordination required to play the game stimulates the hippocampus and can delay cognitive decline. As a result, they have designed a table tennis table specifically for people with dementia, using colour contrasts to aid sight and side panels to assist with play. Annie Ingram, a voracious player, comments, ‘I can do this, I’m loving it!’.

Another sport which appeals to all ages is swimming and is known to have a positive impact on people with dementia, particularly because water offers a feeling of being weightless, thereby relaxing the body. But a public pool may be a daunting environment for someone with dementia and their carer. The Dementia Friendly Swimming Project aims to make swimming pools a safe and welcoming environment for people with dementia. They work across the UK, creating a network of dementia-friendly pools by producing guidance and offering training to swimming staff to achieve this aim.

Dance, on the other hand, is an activity which can be brought directly into the care home. Alive!, based in Bristol, offer dance and movement sessions which focus on the potential this activity has to help older people express themselves when they are no longer able to fully communicate their feelings; it’s about using dance to interact with individuals through rhythm and music. Alive! also offer training programmes to staff to help them bring active care into their own care homes, and run ‘Active Care Forums’ across the South of England for anyone working with older people. Becoming a member of a forum is a great way to pool new ideas and share experiences, whilst also gaining access to training, support and resources on active care.

JABADAO is a somewhat more unusual organisation. SPAGOG, Seriously Playful Armchair Games for the Old and Gorgeous, is a league event which uses basic movements and games with the simple aim of making life better. This is how it works: JABADAO teach the games to carers to play with their residents, the carers return the scores to the organisation, and results are published online weekly so care homes, friends & family can see which team is leading. Two finalist teams play against each other for the famous SPAGOG cup. JABADAO specialise in creating activities for people in late stages of dementia, and offer training for carers to improve the non-verbal communications of these individuals. Contact JABADAO if you’d like organise a competition in your area.

All of the above organisations, and more – see links below – offer the opportunity not only to maintain or increase physical fitness, but to become part of a community and interact with others through a medium other than speech. As Tony Jameson-Allen says, ‘it’s about friendship and keeping people supported just as much as it is about sport itself’. When words are a struggle, it can be the things which do not require any words at all that can offer us the most support.

Resources:

The Bat Foundation
Deliver specialised table tennis Alzheimer’s therapy programme

Dementia-Friendly Swimming
Organisation working to make swimming pools across the UK welcoming for people with dementia

The Sporting Memories Foundation
Work with communities to organise group sessions to discuss sport

Dance and Dementia
Offer dance sessions to individuals or groups

Alzheimer’s Society: Exercise in the early to middle stages
Advice from the Alzheimer’s Society on exercise for those in early to middle stages of dementia

Alzheimer’s Society: Exercise in the later stages
Advice for those in later stages of dementia

Association for Dance Movement Pschotherapy UK
Resource to find dance movement therapist for individual or groups

The Transformative Power of Art

Beach Huts

by Emma Harris

For the average person, being given the opportunity to create and express themselves might inspire a sense of freedom and productivity; it might also be something we take for granted. For a person struggling with dementia, perhaps with weakening senses or an inclination to recede into themselves, the power of art and creativity can be transformative to their quality of life.

Worldwide, people are beginning to understand the importance of creativity for those with dementia. In 2015, the Alzheimer’s Society produced a guide to encourage arts venues to become more dementia-friendly, offering extensive advice on how to do so. Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair of Arts Council England, says “There are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia and, for many of them, the arts will be fundamental to enabling them to live well with their condition”.

James, Creative Minds
James, founder of Creative Minds, leading an art session.

James Cropper is someone who has grabbed this idea by the horns. James was caring for an older adult with learning disabilities when he discovered the power of arts and crafts.

“He just came alive,” says James after observing this individual’s love to create.

Inspired by how stimulating and energising art could be, Creative Minds was soon formed. Now, James and his community of experienced artists enhance the lives of thousands of people in care homes, placing emphasis on experimentation and allowing them the time and materials to create their own pieces of art work. And the benefit is not just emotional; as well as boosting self-esteem, James explains how creativity increases cognitive stimulation, improves dexterity and motor skills, and reduces stress and anxiety. Family members of residents have been impressed with the art sessions and notice a profound impact on the residents. Jane, a resident’s daughter, comments, “I believe these sessions provide far more to the individual than just an afternoon of fun”.

Creative Minds continue to develop their art sessions and have started encouraging the interaction of multiple generations by inviting primary school children to join in with art sessions at care homes. They aim to make art accessible to people of all ages and abilities, bringing their sessions to more and more locations.

Engage & Create, founded by Rachel Mortimer, uses art in a slightly different way. Using an iPad to display famous pieces of art, they facilitate discussions of art in care homes and encourage conversation amongst people with dementia. Rachel says that it is fascinating how people with dementia notice things in art that she has not seen before. Like James, she has observed first-hand how interaction with art can draw people out from their shells and improve well-being, not just during the discussions, but well beyond them.

In 2007, The MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York) set up an initiative to make art more accessible to people with Alzheimer’s, expanding their education programmes to assist health and art professionals in making art accessible to them. Today, they continue to encourage people living with dementia interaction with art through programmes (see link below).  Whilst a trip to New York to participate in one of MoMA’s dementia programmes may be a little tricky, Engage & Create bring discussions directly to the care home.

And they don’t stop there; Rachel’s ‘Ignite Programme’ offers a tailored training package to care home staff so that they themselves can lead discussions about art work, supported along the way by the Engage & Create team. An occupational therapist told the team, “that was one of the best training sessions I’ve ever had … it’ll change the way I work with people with a diagnosis of dementia forever.”

If you want still more proof of the power of art, take a look at this recent study on dementia and creativity, ‘Dementia and Imagination’. The project was studying how visual arts can impact people with dementia. As the research only ended in December 2016, full findings are yet to be published but the initial reactions are undeniably positive. Participants commented on the soothing environment and the sense of achievement they felt; findings also indicated that family members and carers were affected positively as the art sessions allowed them to get to know the residents better through their creations.

All of these ventures focus on what people living with dementia can do rather than what they can’t do. In turn, the people living with the condition learn to focus on these things as well, nurturing an environment of positivity, colour and creativity which has the power to significantly improve their well-being.

If you are aware of an organisation that should be included in our list of resources, please email the details to info@mycarematters.org.

Resources:

Creative Minds Offer practical art sessions across England

Engage & Create Offer art discussion sessions and training packages for staff, including The Engage & Create Ignite Programme

Creative Buddy is a social enterprise that provides mobile arts and crafts sessions for care/residential homes, day centres and community venues in Sussex.

Dementia and Imagination A recently completed scientific study on the benefit of art for individuals with dementia

Arts4Dementia  develops arts programmes to empower, re-energise and inspire people with early-stage dementia and carers through challenging artistic stimulation, to help them live better for longer in their own homes.

Equal Arts Offer training sessions for care staff and run projects encouraging creativity amongst people living with dementia

MoMA Information on how to make art accessible to people with dementia.

Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Arts report A guide for arts venues on how to become dementia-friendly

 

 

 

 

Two award-winning products… one fabulous offer

TNV Reminiscence 1950s

We are delighted to be partnering with Many Happy Returns to create the Twist-N-View Happy Memories Set for care homes and hospitals. We have adapted our Twist-N-View Display Care Chart so as to display and store a number of the award-winning Chatterbox Cards, and are now offering 6 Care Charts and a pack of 26 Chatterbox cards for just £77.60.

Not only does the Twist-N-View Happy Memories Set facilitate person-centred care by ensuring all those interacting with an individual are aware of their needs and preferences, but also provides the tools to encourage conversations and facilitate reminiscence sessions.

See more by clicking here..