Power of playfulness in dementia care
The emotional memory of ‘fun’ isn’t lost for people with late stage dementia and is being described as a ‘potential’ key to improving quality of life, according to researchers.
The 'Cat Pocket' is a textile with embedded electronics which vibrates when stroked and is reminiscent of a purring cat.
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Drs Gail Kenning and Cathy Treadaway, who is a visiting scholar and reader in creative practice at Cardiff Metropolitan University in the UK, have been working together for several years to explore how arts and creativity can have benefits for a person's wellbeing and quality of life, especially those with late stage dementia.
Drs Kenning and Treadaway's research explores the benefits of sensory textiles for people with dementia. Tailored specifically to the individual and their preferences and history, one such sensory textile are dementia aprons which contain areas of interest within the surface of the cloth, such as buttons, zips to undo, and things in pockets. These aprons are reportedly being used in aged care homes to soothe and comfort people with dementia.
According to Dr Treadaway, much of the focus over recent years has been on trying to find cures for dementia.
“People with dementia are often stigmatised but they have as much right to be happy and have fun as the rest of us – and everyone in the community has a part to play,” she says.
Dr Kenning adds: “There's something very strange about how we think about things like 'fun'. Often when we're younger we tend to think of fun like 'I know I had fun because I remember it… it was last week and I had a great time'.
“But when you get to a point where there is no memory of that fun, it doesn't diminish the emotional memory. The positive emotional memory is retained even if the details of the experience can't be remembered.”
During Dr Treadaway's Australian visit, the team hosted a 'funshop' where attendees were able to learn more about the research as well as make sensory textiles for people with dementia.
At a similar recent event in Wales, participants developed textiles with embedded electronics such as the cat pocket which vibrated when stroked and was reminiscent of a purring cat.
Learn more about the work of Drs Gail Kenning and Cathy Treadaway.
