This month is World Alzheimer’s month and in the library we have a variety of resources which can be borrowed by trust staff members to support people living with dementia.
We have three Reminiscence boxes in our collection containing tactile items which can help people to remember happy moments in their life and prompt conversation.
Handling the objects is a good way of stimulating conversation and engaging with the person. There are also laminated cards with pictures and facts to further discussion. The boxes are easy to transport, having a long handle and wheels.
We have worked together with Wakefield Libraries, initially loaning boxes from them prior to us producing our own using kind donations.
We have an entertainment and leisure box which has familiar objects from family life such as toys, records, books and old money. They evoke strong memories from different time periods. For me it was the 70’s and 80’s, I particularly remember trying and failing to master the Rubix cube.
We are very fortunate to have objects in the mining box from the National Coal Mining Museum for England. This box has proved to be very popular with former miners, you can still smell the coal dust on the objects. People living with dementia can interact with the objects, wearing the helmet and handling the soap, which also has a distinctive smell.
Continue reading “Focus on: Reminiscence Resources”