Creative Connections in Dementia Care: Engaging Activities to Enhance Communication

Norris, Katie; Brush MA CCC-SLP, Jennifer

ISBN 10: 1938870425 / ISBN 13: 9781938870422

Published by Health Professions Press, 2015

pp. 88. Seller Inventory # 373275700

Synopsis:

Creativity is preserved in dementia long after other abilities are lost, so that making art provides rich opportunities for meaningful engagement for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Creative Connections™ in Dementia Care provides care partners with the knowledge and easy-to-follow steps they need to successfully implement art projects in a group or one-on-one setting―and no art experience is required!

Written for anyone who cares for a person with dementia―family members, friends, and professionals―this how-to manual is packed with guidance to help enhance communication, interactions, task breakdown, and problem-solving efforts while also encouraging the abilities of each participant.

People with dementia enjoy valuable benefits when they actively engage in a creative activity:

• stress is reduced
• memories can be accessed
• mood and self-esteem are elevated
• a sense of personal identity and achievement is experienced

To help create these opportunities, Creative Connections™ in Dementia Care provides 10 basic art project “recipes,” detailing supplies, instructions, and activity modifications, as well as colourful, step-by-step photographs that show how to demonstrate and lead the activity for the person with dementia. Each art activity is failure-free and does not require memory skills to complete.

Bring joy and a powerful sense of connection to the lives of people experiencing dementia with this one-of-a-kind guide!

2016 National Health Information Awards (Silver Award Winner - in Other/Miscellaneous Health, Media/Publishing Division)

About the Author: Rev. Katie Norris is co-founder of the Carolyn L. Farrell Foundation for Brain Health. Her community ministry is devoted to helping people with mental illness and dementia live lives of meaning and purpose. She is a Unitarian Universalist minister with a specialty in pastoral care and communication for people with brain health illness and their families. She works to raise awareness and end stigma of these illnesses through community outreach and public speaking.

Jennifer Brush MA, CCC/SLP understands the particular needs of healthcare organizations and families engaged in dementia care and brings more than 20 years of experience as both a leading researcher and direct-care coach in this complex field. She is a nationally recognized speech-language pathologist known for her work in the areas of memory and environmental interventions for people with dementia. She has served as the principal investigator on applied research grants that examined issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS dementia, hearing impairment, dining, swallowing disorders, and the long-term care environment. Jennifer is the co-author of three other books: I Care; Environment and Communication Assessment Toolkit for Dementia Care; and A Therapy Technique for Improving Memory: Space Retrieval.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Creative Connections in Dementia Care: ...
Publisher: Health Professions Press
Publication Date: 2015
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: New