Bringing Stories to Life Imagination, creativity and dementia Burnley, 4th December 2013

General Housekeeping

  9.30am – 11.05am – Session One

 11.05am – 11.25pm – BREAK

 11.25pm – 12.30pm – Session Two

 12.30pm – 1.15pm – LUNCH

 1.15pm – 2.35pm – Session Three

 2.35pm – 2.55pm – BREAK

 2.55pm – 4.00pm – Session Four

Warm Up

Aims for today

  Increased understanding on the context of arts and creativity for people with dementia

  Increased understanding of creative storytelling and play and the benefits that it can have for people with dementia

  To give confidence and knowledge in the foundation techniques around creative storytelling and play

  To think about how these and similar creative techniques can be built integrated into individual practice and work with people with dementia.

  To develop foundation knowledge of how to plan and deliver a creative storytelling and play intervention / workshop.

Group Introductions

  What do you hope to achieve from today’s training?

  What are your personal goals and aspirations from today’s session?

  What are you aspirations?

Word Soup

Celebrity Spotter

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia can include

  Memory loss

 Confusion

 Difficulty in finding words

 Difficulty in visual focus, recognition

 Hallucinations

 Depression

 Inhibition

 Aggression

Imagination, Creativity and Dementia

  Dementia as a process of cognitive decline

  Progressive and unpredictable BUT the order in which it happens IS more predictable

  We now know that the creative and imaginative parts of the brain retain function for the longest within this decline

What does this mean for older people?

  People with Alzheimer’s and dementia may discover a creative clarity that they did not previously have

  OR an increased awareness of existing creativity

  This means that creativity and imagination can be a very effective way to connect with people with Alzhiemer’s and dementia.

  Even those with very severe cognitive impairment

Creativity and imagination can…

  Help us connect more closely with the older people that we work with

  Help us build shared experiences and narratives

  Help older people express how they are feeling and what they want

  Help reveal the individual

  Gladys and Naomi

“I think I may be beginning to disappear”

Away From Her Clip

Introduction to Storybox

  Collaborative storytelling for groups and individuals

  Originally developed at the Library Theatre Company in Manchester in 2005 – now used in a variety of different settings with older people with Alzheimer’s and dementia

  Multi-sensory – many access points

  Based on imagination NOT memory

  Participant led

  FUN!

First Response

  What is your immediate reaction?

  What did you like?

  Which bits do you think would work particularly well for you?

  Storybox FIlm

Creating a Storybox

  THEME

  Sight

  Hearing

  Smell

  Touch

  Taste

Tips to using creative tools

  Find themes and stimulus that work for you and the older people you support.

  Group work is better in circles

  Working with groups try to work in pairs

  An activity can be as long or as short as works for you

  Use the familiar as a way in

  Never say no. ALWAYS say yes!

  Find ways to record and share what you have done

  Have fun – this is about you as well as the older people you work with.

  You are already a creative person! This is to help your creativity and not hinder it

Planning Template

  Who is the session for?

  Time of day

  Location

  One off or regular session?

  Drop in or planned session?

  What is the aim?

Planning Template #2

  Warm up

  Focus activity

  Main Activities

  Warm Down

  Sharing

Case Studies

  What is the context?

  What is the challenge?

  How can you resolve the challenge?

Thank You!

  www.smallthings.org.uk

  info@smallthings.org.uk

  Join our online network to keep engaged and inspired.