Words are powerful, whether spoken or written. At our Lady-Links visits with our dear friends with dementia, we are careful to use words in a positive, encouraging way including in the games we play.
Lady-Links play Scrabble each week with a dear friend in the Memory Care unit of our retirement community.This is enjoyable for all of us, including our dear friend with Alzheimer’s who requested that our visits include a game or two of Scrabble. She has played it for years, starting when she was young and has retained the ability to put the letters together to form words quite easily.
When we play Scrabble with her, we modify the game slightly. We don’t count the number on the board on which the tile is placed. In other words, all we do is just make words; we don’t score the value of each letter of that word. The first one to use all her tiles is the winner. But winning the game isn’t what brings us joy….it is the conversation that is sparked by the words we create.
Each word represents a memory in someone’s mind. We take our time to share past experiences about the word when it is placed on the board. On this particular game, we laughed about pets we had when we were children. We talked about how hens lay eggs and some of us actually have gathered the eggs from the nest. We discussed our favorite soup, foods we like to eat, and chores we had as children such as using a mop.
Words that inspire conversation of pleasant memories are what we call “winning words.” This type of interaction is enjoyable and helps with socialization, cognition and emotional stimulation, all of which are beneficial.
What “winning words” can you use with your friends and loved ones with dementia? Whatever word you choose, if it engages them in positive interaction then you have chosen correctly!
Speak Your Mind