As Lady-Links visit their dear friends with dementia, we make an effort to create an atmosphere of comfort and security while we’re there. We are trained to focus on positives and redirect any conversation that might lead to a fearful or anxious topic.
One of the best ways to encourage our dear friends is through sharing childhood memories. Most of us are of the same generation so we can relate to hobbies, activities, music and games we enjoyed as children. Those conversations are like a picture being painted before our eyes. We can “see” our childhood home, our childhood friends, and even our childhood toys as we describe ways we had fun. Often we recreate some of those memories, like playing cards or games or even baking cookies.
It is comforting to return to our childhood memories and brings with it a sense of security, especially for our dear friends who often are anxious because they are easily confused by what’s going on around them.
Some of our favorite conversations include how we celebrated birthdays. In “our” day, having a birthday party was a big deal so it is a natural that we celebrate birthdays with our friends in ways they remember as a child. When we do this, the rewards are beyond anything we can imagine. Smiles turn into laughter as we celebrate together, even blowing out the candles as we used to do as children. We all benefit from this type of activity.
Providing comfort and security through recreating childhood activities is a great way to help a friend or loved one with dementia. Lady-Links are focused on helping our dear friends any way we can.
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