|
Dementia Positive
|
Meet new people!
|
Join in Dementia Positive!
The purpose of this part of our website is to help YOU to get in touch with others who share your experiences, interests or aspirations.
You might be a person with dementia, a family member or friend, or someone working or volunteering in the field.
We will put up your (short) notice together with your email address. If you wish, you can also include a picture. Unfortunately pictures can only stay on for a limited period of time, as we have a fixed number of 'slots' on the site, but we will have it there as long as possible. Your text can stay on indefinitely.
We hope that you will want to take part and meet new friends and colleagues!
(Our picture here is by Sarah Zoutewelle-Morris, entitled 'Moon Village'. It is 32.5cm x 39 cm (12 3/4"x 15 1/2 ") and is oil pastel on Ingres paper. )
|
|
|
|
Mary Sharp & Rachel Kail, The Edcon Group
John first met this distinctive and dynamic mother-and-daughter duo when he attended an arts conference in Vancouver in May 2006. He was extremely impressed by their presentation and a friendship began. This was renewed when they came to Stirling for the First International Dementia Conference held at the University in April 2007. They met Kate there for the first time, and there is now a strong bond between the four of us. We hope to participate in a day’s workshop together with Mary and Rachel in Kansas City, Missouri when we visit America in November.
Mary and Rachel give presentations and workshops on person-centred care for people with dementia widely in the States. They have a direct, humorous and engaging manner, and put across a very positive message in a highly professional but passionate and personal style. If at all possible Rachel and Mary follow up their presentation/workshop material with visits to meet persons with dementia, and show how their approach can work face to face. They have a website and online newsletter at www.edcongroup.org.
Their presentation at Stirling was about communication in advanced dementia, and involved the use of video clips and photographs of the support the family provided for Mary’s mother in the final weeks of her life. It showed the advantages of a person-centred approach when it is offered in familiar surroundings by loving relatives. It was a fun, memorable and deeply moving experience, and the session had to be repeated because so many people wanted to see it.
|
|
Hilary Lee
Occupational therapist and dementia consultant living in Perth, Western Australia
I specialise in using a holistic and person-centred approach in the care of people with dementia. I have a particular interest in promoting well-being in people with dementia, and have extended this approach to the prevention of depression in people with the condition. Recently I have been working on a multidisciplinary project to improve approaches to palliative care, and as part of this I have worked closely with a chaplain and aromatherapist to nurture the mind, body and spirit.
Another major area of interest is in using the creative arts as a means of self-expression for people who have dementia. Recently I co-ordinated an intergenerational project (involving teenage children) to improve the quality of life of a group of people living in residential care. This project involved participants using a specially designed tool (called the Rumplestiltskin tool) to create tapestries. This comes from the Hooked on Hessian method of tapestry-making created by Norma Hatchett (www.hookedonhessian.com.au) As well as creating a beautiful tapestry and all the positive things that came out of the process, we were delighted when the young people who took part said that they found that the older people were “just like us”, and were surprised that “elderly people could have so much energy”.
My email address is hilarylee@bigpond.com, and I would be delighted to hear from anyone who shares my interests or would like to know more about what I do.
|
|
Sarah Zoutewelle-Morris
American artist, designer and calligrapher living in Holland
I've worked as a visual artist for 35 years now, and what excites me most is applying the skills I've learned to healthcare settings. An artist in residence can stimulate everyone in the environment to live and think more creatively. For example, artists are constantly exploring fresh ways of seeing the world, they regularly connect unrelated elements in unexpected ways, and they have a high tolerance for uncertainty.
I feel that these types of 'right- brained' skills are very much needed in today's highly technical hospital and nursing home environments, especially when communicating with people with dementia.
At the moment I work one-to-one with people in different phases of dementia using creative activities (and anything else at hand!) to establish meaningful contact.
Based on the above and 15 years experience as a clinical artist, I design art-based training in creative approaches for healthcare staff and students.
Imagining/exploring alternative (more socially engaged) paths for being an artist is a passion of mine.
Feel free to contact me about these ideas or to enquire about my artwork at sarah.zoutewelle-morris@xs4all.nl
( Website under construction )
The above picture by Sarah is entitled 'Encounter'.
|
|
|
|
|