At Happy Days Dementia Workshop, we are passionate about helping care teams enrich social care. We’ve spent many years visiting residential and dementia care homes, hospitals, care services and families. We observed and have since designed reminiscence materials to help people engage and prompt memories to bring about meaningful conversations and stories to share and enjoy.
When people see and experience our range of traditional games like Jacks, Beetle Drive or bespoke Snakes & Ladders with chat prompts, to vintage sweet shops, bus stops, seaside displays and 1950s rooms, I’m often asked where it all started. Well, it all started in Lancaster, studying for a masters degree where I became interested in the effect that prompting the long term memory can have. Unbeknown to me at the time, this was the beginning of my journey into helping care teams engage and enrich social care for elderly and people living with dementia.
Much has happened since then and here’s a peep into how Happy Days nostalgic materials and environment ideas can help:
Care Homes:
Have reminiscence boxes and baskets available for care teams and visitors. Themed contents
can help families enjoy a more meaningful time with their relatives.
Happy Days All About Me books are ideal for really getting to know your resident. Help residents add life’s interests, favourites, likes and dislikes. Use the memory jogger to create future conversations.
Remove negative materials: faded pictures, flower displays, dying plants. Replace with meaningful wall art: Original Adverts – Film Corner – Gardening – Crafts – Seasides and well known destinations. Nostalgic brands are ideal for brightening corridors or encouraging eating: Oxo – Marmite – Daddies Sauce …
De-clutter notice boards. Remove out-dated event information. Add a clear weekly plan ie ‘This Week’s Activities.’ Keep up-to-date.
Advertise for volunteers to read, sing, craft, or just chat with residents.
Hospitals:
Countryside scenery and modern patterns can be attractive but adding meaningful wall art to
corridors can assist nursing staff and families engage, especially with people who are living with dementia. Prompt memories with Holiday Destinations – Newspaper Headlines – Animals & Pets – Everyday Interests [knitting/bowls/snooker/baking] – Murals or Themed Rooms.
Communication Board – Just point to what you need. Happy Days dual sided board is ideal for expressing needs, wants and likes. [Light weight / Wipe clean]
Home Care Providers:
As we are now more aware of how loneliness is affecting people, companionship sessions are more established. Create a collection nostalgic games, large piece jigsaw puzzles, tactile items, reminiscence boxes and chat prompts to share with the people you are caring for.
Dementia Cafes & Volunteers:
- Time to Chat prompts are ideal for instigating conversations. Swinging Sixties – Interesting
- Places – Animal Magic and Glorious Gardening are all available at Happy Days Dementia Workshop.
