|
Chocolate Rain
by Sarah Zoutewelle-Morris (Hawker Publications)
Preface by John Killick
I truly believe that at long last the time for the arts and dementia care has come! There are a number of signs, and this book is not the least of them.
What are its virtues? Well first of all it is user-friendly. It is not bulky to carry around. It is full of drawings that set you at your ease. It is written in a style that takes you into the writer’s confidence. It is easy to absorb: the only thing that stands in your way is that it keeps asking you to try things out! That establishes it as a book to use and not to flip through or put on the shelf.
It is very basic --- it takes nothing for granted. It is at the opposite pole from a text that is full of high-minded theories and generalisations: it says “This you can do!”
It pays particular attention to the needs of people with advanced dementia, those who may have lost speech, and may seem difficult to get on the wavelength of. Its definition of art is inclusive, and encompasses all sorts of activities that others might ignore as not being creative. This is a client-group that many commentators pass over because they do not know what to offer them. Sarah Zoutewelle-Morris certainly knows from long experience what can work.
In the poem ‘The Bad Home’ one lady said to me:
Nothing to do, nothing to say.
It’s all blackness in front of me.
Another thing, they just sit there
And turn their thoughts inward.
That’s why we’ll never get better.
Amongst other things, this is a cry for meaningful activity. With this book available there is no longer any excuse for tolerating this state of affairs.
Find out more about Sarah and her work here.
|
