A door to communication with dementia sufferers
By Liz Lockhart
Dementia Awareness Week, this year will be from 20th May to 26th May. Dementia is a ‘hot topic’ in the 
media at the moment as a result of the Government announcement to increase funding into the disorder and hopes to make England a world leader in the field of dementia research, treatment and understanding.
It should not be forgotten that caring for a loved one with dementia can be physically and emotionally draining. There are aids available to make the lives of dementia sufferers and their carers a little easier. Gibson is about to launch a range of specially designed jigsaw puzzles to assist with communication with those affected by dementia a little easier.
Research tells us that people with dementia can feel intimidated when asked direct questions. Even everyday questions like ‘How are you today?’ or ‘What would you like to eat?’ can be very challenging. This is because dementia affects the ‘present’ part of the brain. They have trouble remembering things that happened recently but they can often recall the past with clarity.
The new range of Gibsons puzzles has been specially designed in conjunction with Sarah Reed. Sarah is the creator of reminiscence activities ‘Many Happy Returns’ and is also a specialist in the field of dementia. She has 25 years of experience volunteering with two national charities for older people and her professional work has recently involved her working with people living with dementia and their carers. Sarah was prompted to do this work because of her own mother’s nine year experience of dementia. Sarah explains ‘These simple puzzles help stimulate and promote pleasurable conversations through people’s memories that are still intact. The subjects reflect everyday things which people might have done between the ages of about ten and thirty, the so-called ‘reminiscence bump’.’
Amanda Murphy of Gibsons says ‘Responding to our research, we developed a range of relevant themes from the 1940s and 1950s such as ‘days out you enjoyed when you were young’, ‘playing in the street’, ‘schooldays’ and ‘keeping warm in winter’. The puzzles help build people’s self-esteem by triggering life stories that they can recall and have been rigorously tested in care homes and family homes alike, to ensure that they are appropriate in their interest, complexity and ergonomics.’
The distressing nature of dementia can cause the families of those living with the condition to suffer greatly. Daily challenges can include frustration, confusion, short-term memory loss and loss of recognition. The new puzzle range from Gibsons is designed to build a bridge that will contribute to valuable quality time for loved ones and to capture irreplaceable memories that could otherwise be lost forever.
