Session 2.
Person-Centred Dementia Care.
Engaging Activities.
Hi,
Thanks so much for being here again and for continuing this journey into person-centred dementia care.
It's really great that you're taking the time to find ways to bring more connection and joy into someone's life.
These kinds of moments don't need to be complicated.
Often it's the simplest things that open the door to peace,
Presence,
A smile.
Let's begin by grounding ourselves with a short sound meditation.
Just a moment to come back to centre.
If it feels comfortable,
Close your eyes and notice the sounds around you.
Can you hear your breath?
See how it feels to gently slow down the breath.
As you exhale,
Allow your shoulders to soften.
If it helps,
You could place a hand over your heart just to remind yourself why you're here.
What else can you hear?
Maybe birds in the trees.
I can hear the traffic.
Someone moving around in another room.
All sounds are okay.
Just let them anchor you in this moment.
And remember,
If the day gets challenging,
You can always return to this.
Just pause,
Listen and begin again.
Okay,
So now let's explore today's theme,
Engaging activities.
These aren't about filling time or keeping someone busy.
They're about creating little moments of connection,
Often rooted in comfort or joy or something familiar.
You don't need to plan big outings or elaborate tasks.
One small shared moment is enough.
I'll offer a few simple ideas you can try.
Or just adapt to fit the person in your cares,
Preferences or needs.
Art or colour play.
This is actually surprisingly simple and can work really quickly.
I'll give you some suggestions of what you might say with some of these examples.
So you might say something like,
Let's do something relaxing with colour.
I brought some crayons and paper.
Which colour do you like best?
Shall we just draw something together?
So once you start drawing,
You're already engaged in an activity.
And that can distract the person in your care from something that might have been worrying them before.
You got out the pens and paper.
So it's about the process,
Not the product.
It doesn't matter if the drawing's really bad.
It doesn't matter if the colouring's outside the lines or messy.
It's just about being playful.
Listening to music is another brilliant thing that I found very helpful with my late mum.
It's a powerful bridge.
You could say,
How about we play some of your favourite songs?
Maybe we can sing along or even have a little dance if we feel like it.
I love hearing you sing those old favourites.
Want me to put another one on while I make us a cuppa?
So you can see how quickly this might work.
And even just tapping along to a rhythm can create a beautiful moment.
Another suggestion is gentle movement or time in nature.
Movement obviously is going to activate different parts of the brain.
And time in nature can really calm people down very quickly.
So you might say something like,
Oh,
Look how beautiful it is outside.
The sky is so blue today.
Want to step into the garden with me for a few minutes?
We could pick a flower.
There's some lovely flowers out there.
We could just feel the breeze.
Oh,
Grab your sun hat.
Oh,
It's lovely out there.
We all know fresh air,
Sunshine and movement,
Even in small doses,
Can lift the mood for both of you.
So it's an absolute winner.
So these ideas are very simple,
And it's okay to keep it simple.
Just focus on the feeling,
Not the outcome.
It really doesn't matter.
It's just about mixing things up.
What matters the most,
Though,
Is how the person in your care feels.
Peaceful,
Engaged,
Hopefully comforted.
That's the real success right there.
And it's a good idea to remember to build on who they were before the diagnosis of dementia.
Mum used to play the piano,
And even in the later stages of the disease,
I'd sit beside her and ask her to help me with a few notes on the piano.
She didn't need to perform.
She always loved to help,
So being included and feeling like she was validated and that she could help somebody else,
Which was absolutely part of her nature,
Made her feel much more like herself.
So maybe today just try one small thing.
And remember,
Repetition is okay.
If something works,
Return to it.
But familiarity can be comforting.
Thanks again for listening.
Be kind to yourself today,
And I'll see you in the next session.
