Reminisce with Me

Time

Reminiscence

4 3 2 1 Mid-Late Stages

Benefits

Participants

One to One

What you need

A variety of things relating to their interest:

Films or any televised event
Print outs of articles
Photographs
Any other memorabilia

Intro

As a person progresses through their dementia journey, it’s still important to help them connect with things that they love

This activity is all about finding out what will bring someone joy and talking about it with them. It might be a film star like Marilyn Monroe, a sport like cricket, an art genre like abstract – or something else. We’re all different! So take the time to find out what interests someone using a little help from friends or family

Armed with this knowledge, you can then tailor reminisce sessions using photos, articles, TV clips and other memorabilia about their interest

These sessions can then be regular, whether that’s every few days or once a week

Top tip

Got any pictures? Pop them on a wall so they can be seen easily or close by so they can be picked up and looked at

The Activity

Plan to visit at a regular time each week for the reminiscence sessions and plan what will happen in each
Visit the person in their room or where they are seated – somewhere quiet without any distractions
Greet them by holding their hand or lay your hand gently on their hand or forearm
Sit at their eye level and ask them how they are. If they can’t respond verbally, look for any visual clues, such as a change in breathing, movement of their head, hands or eyes and respond by then letting them know how you are or talk about something that is going on that day
Hold eye contact and say you’re going to spend some time with them talking about the thing the love
The first visit can be just talking about their interest, maybe reading a few facts and showing the odd photo
The second visit could be simply sitting and watching a film or event on TV
The third could be looking at more photos, reading articles and showing memorabilia (if you have any)
The fourth could be watching something on the TV again
Create more sessions about the same interest but change the format slightly
During your visits, regularly lay your hand on their hand or arm to give reassurance, and be aware of any verbal and nonverbal responses
Take your cues from the person and, if they seemed relaxed, continue with what you are doing
Once this visit has ended, let them know you’ll be coming again to talk about their passion and where they are in the day (e.g. “it’s time for your tea break soon” or “lunch will be ready in a minute”