In recent years, Reminiscence Therapy has become a staple of positive dementia care.
As longer-term memories are the last to fade, helping someone to remember significant people and enjoyable events from their life can be a positive and beneficial experience for everyone. Talking about someone’s life story is an effective way to improve wellbeing and support someone with dementia to retain their sense of self.
Visual prompts like the family photos, objects and videos are an important part of the reminiscence process. If you’re a professional or family carer for someone living with dementia, there’s now an extra resource which might help the person connect with the past. The People’s Collection of Wales Memory Archive is a collection of videos and images spanning from the 1940s to the present. Separated into themed categories such as decades, work and jobs, pets, home, the Royal Family, transport, Christmas, significant events and TV and radio, there’s something for everyone.
You can use the images to create Memory Tree and Memory Timeline posters using the free downloadable templates on the website. There’s also a practical guide which shows you how to use the People’s Collection of Wales resources, suggested activities and details of further free dementia resources.
So, if you’re caring for someone with dementia, why not explore the collection and see what discussions and memories it may spark? Understanding someone’s life experiences is not only an important facet of positive dementia care, it’s really good fun for both of you!
You can also explore and contribute to the entire People’s Collection of Wales here.
