Recreation for those with Dementia

At the end of November, two of the wonderful women who help me with respite (for me and for my partner!) came to a North Island College course on Activity Programming for Individuals with Dementia. I’ve been wanting to tell my friends in Caregivers about it but there hasn’t been an opportunity.

The course was just Saturday morning but Debbie Provencher, who teaches the subject and works in many care homes, could easily have kept us spell bound for a week. She interspersed all her tricks with solid information about perception and typical behaviours, and how to engage with our loved ones and those we care for. Over  ,we found ourselves looking at each other and nodding as behaviours were named and explained. I have done a lot of workshops and a lot of reading since this illness arose in our home, but this workshop was one of the best. And a lot of fun, too.