Here are some ideas for you to think about when planning to keep your loved ones active:
- Support and encourage the person to do things for themselves, as much as is possible
- Stimulation is important: playing dominoes or simple board games can help with mental stimulation
- Communicate clearly with the person, explaining things rather than taking for granted that they will understand
- Encourage the person to be included, to feel part of a community and, where possible, to carry on with activities they have enjoyed before. Just because they have a dementia diagnosis, people do not stop enjoying the things that they have enjoyed in the past. You may want to find out more about Dementia Friendly Communities initiative being developed locally on the Dementia Friendly Communities section on this Portal.
- Involve the person with daily activities and events, such as preparing meals or shopping, to keep their skills alive and be part of what is going on around them. There is a number of dementia friendly shops and businesses in Warwickshire.
- Sing! Singing with a person who has dementia has been found to be an effective means of communication.
- Melody and rhythm can help the person with dementia improve their sense of well-being and self-esteem. A person with quite developed word finding difficulty may still be able to sing songs learned in their youth. Find out more about Dementia and Music on the Age UK site.
- Warwickshire Libraries have recently introduced ‘Pictures to Share’ to their selection of books. ‘Pictures to Share’ are a set of twelve illustrated books that help communicate with people with mid to late stage dementia. They are simple, clear and mostly colourful, with no confusing backgrounds or content that is difficult to interpret. Please contact Warwickshire Library and Information Service for more detail. Telephone - 03005 558171