Olwyn

Sounds like a particularly good idea at this time.
Please contact me via email [email protected] for our snail mail address or our link for a zoom meeting connection. I have a couple of residents in our palliative residential dementia unit that are be interested. We are based in South Gippsland, Victoria Australia and are predominantly a farming community.

Hi Everyone,
We are writing a composite story with individual sections and artwork. The final compilation hopefully will reflect life in our local farming district. I hope to display to in the hallway.
This week we are having a chocolate fruit fondue and pancakes, and have been baking bread and making easy slices. Party pies are a big hit at our seated hallway golf competition too. Our manager bought pansies in pots to decorate the tables, and we changed the decor more regularly. The local children wrote us lovely handwritten letters also at Easter. Of course we are doing face time ,.. I am thinking of having a silly hat day for the next face time.
Thanks for the inspiration and sharing

@Alison Did you have a "how to" pdf to use zoom? If so could you please share it here? WE are thinking about using it also. So far we have mede use of our personal phones nd data and FB messenger. But zoom looks likea great app to use .

When I run this activity, (Pamper Day) the ladies are invited with printed invites. After they arrive and are waiting for their turn the residents colour in pictures or do a theme related quiz together. The morning starts with high tea, served at a large table. One by one they book in a time session throughout the day with the DT, either before or after lunch. and state their preference rose, lavender, or lemon. Their massage includes this essential oil in a carrier oil or cream. Some have their hair done, some hand massage, some manicure. and others choose makeup. After this we finish off with a pretty scarf and jewellery if they wish.( I have collected scarves from op shops and hand laundered them as a group activity previously. ) Sometimes i take photo and later they see themselves pretty on the TV, or these photos can be used for "This is your life" activity.

I use Mike jackson's " Uke and play" series. I play the ukelele in a passable fashion. The songs and words are a great resource, especially his campfire book. His books also come with a cd. They are available in most music stores but here is the best link. (see below)

https://mikejackson.com.au/mike-jacksons-uke-n-play-ukulele/

In the morning we had medical items, old bed pans, etc in a display, and read a snippet of historical stories about nurses in the war years and had a morning tea for staff. In the afternoon I organised massage therapists to come in for a couple of hours in the afternoon and give free massages to nursing staff. The residents set the relaxing area up, with aromatherapy, fresh flowers, pretty table cloth, etc, I also did hand massages for staff and residents. We also made huge thank you signs and put them up everywhere.

I have been taking my Jack russellxShitsu called "Jackie chan" into the dementia unit/home where i work for 3 years now. He started visiting from 4 months of age. The night before is bathing, brushing, nail trim, face trim, etc. They love him visiting. I give him a good run before we enter the facility. He spends lunchtime out in the courtyard. He visits rooms and snoozes on the bed with those that have a meaningful role of "pet sitting for 30 minutes", or brushing the dog's coat. We stay a full day. The dog dresses up for the visits, in tie, or vest. He also has now learnt tricks do a little show. Sit, drop, commando crawl, play dead, roll over, dance, jump through a hoop, shake hands, and look for my phone!. Bonus he cleans up all the crumbs under the dining table. Of course, he is completely ruined for the outside world, believing his rightful place is up on beds, and on couches or lounge chairs, much to my friend's horror!

Hi Donna,
In winter, I just use a drawing on the white board of a set of long stairs, and a big puddle at the bottom. I made a figure, with an umbrella, hat, gloves, boots with magnets to stick on the white board. Whenever an answer is wrong, he loses a warm clothing item, or he has to step down a step. The residents choose what happens. In summer, the figure has bathers, towel, sunglasses and sun screen, beach umbella and a sun hat- the puddle is full of sharks.

Hello Carol,
I am sorry to hear your husband is frustrated. Good on you for reaching out. I have a couple of men in my dementia unit, one was a scientist, the other a busy business owner. At present they are engaged in meaningful roles to some extent. One helps with the "office work, mailings, photocopying, and updating the notice boards", and the other researches online for our orders of pens, craft materials, paint for the birdhouse which needs repainting, and I have managed to coerce maintenance to call on him and take him along on some of their jobs, passing them a spanner, or a screwdriver, when lights are cleaned, bulbs are changed, etc. He also at present is sanding and painting some tic tac toe oversized games pieces at the moment. Once a month we have a repair day also, of broken things bought in by staff and families. We discuss how it might be fixed, where we can access the parts, source the parts, make a plan, and then begin. Sometimes we watch youtube in our men's group pie and beer morning, watch builders, or forklift scurrying in the store room, truck loading etc. Sometimes things here even get fixed! Hope something in this list is helpful.All the best, O.

Hi Michelle,
Yes, this can be a problem- connecting in a person-centred way with residents that did not have a history of doing any hobbies and state they had no past interests. (Our facility is in a small rural dairy area, where large families were the norm, and women having hobbies or interests outside the family, UNHEARD OF) However, I found that by digging a little deeper, and the following things bought a smile and interaction. Initially, I had to dig around in their profile to find historical events from the towns, or regions they grew up in. Sometimes I hit gold by doing this. But the following usually elicits warm fuzzies...
Anything about dogs, cooking, ladies natter and chatter groups discussing fashions of the day (the local theatrical group loaned us some costumes for a display), the best movie stars of the day, one lady grew up on the family apple orchard, so I arranged for an apple tasting (as many varieties as I could find),Another time we had an ic cream flavours tasting afternoon. Sometimes I do the homes ironing while we chat, and quizzes are always fun. Our faves are "words starting with".
Hope some of these ideas help,