Family Heritage Toolbox
Whether, ‘back home’ is Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobaggo, Nevis, Barbados, or any one of the other Caribbean or African nations, our ‘culturally competent toolkit’ uses reminiscence therapy as a gentle method of helping people recall early memories, and creates a bonding activity for pairs or groups to do together.
Reminiscence
‘Reminiscence’ means sharing memories, life experiences and stories from the past. Typically, a person with dementia is more able to recall things from many years ago than a recent event, so reminiscence draws on this strength. Reminiscence can give people with dementia allow people to build confidence and competence by using a skill they still have.
Giving Knowledge
When a person shares something about their past with others, it’s a wonderful opportunity for that person to feel that they are the one who is giving knowledge to another person, rather than always receiving or listening.
Reminiscence can sometimes provoke painful memories. Emotional reactions are not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s important that these are responded to with gentle reassurance.
‘Social Care Institute for Excellence’
Therapy showed the greatest evidence in improving Quality of Life
Heritage Toolbox
The’ Heritage Toolbox’ uses reminiscence therapy as a gentle method to help people recall early memories.Our goal is to encourage memories to surface naturally, rather than putting people under pressure.
To stimulate long-lost memories in dementia patients, reminiscence therapy utilises discussion and trigger items which bring the person back to past situations and events.
- Videos of individuals from the person’s ‘mother-land’ talking about the memories the objects within the ‘Heritage Box’.
- Aromas from home, bringing back the times spent with parents, grand-parents family and friends. Aromatherapy with essential oils and reminiscence therapy can help reduce stress and agitation, and improve the overall outlook of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
- Country specific traditional folk tales, bedtime stories and fairytales, from their childhood.
- Videos of some of the songs, chants and children’s games played during their childhood.
- The taste of specific sweets that will take them back in time, often to a very specific memory.
Our boxes are line line with recent dementia studies such as the (April 2021) ‘A Systematic Review of the Current Psychosocial Interventions for People with Moderate to Severe Dementia’ (International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 1 April 2021).
Essential Oils
For people with cognitive difficulties, it’s important to tap into all of the senses to trigger memories. Along with photographs and pictures to look at, and the objects to hold and feel, the ‘Heritage Box’ is a fantastic memory trigger to unlock all of those life experiences and events.
Living & Aging Well With Dementia
We have seen and heard many times how music memory is often retained when other memories are lost. Even in advanced stages of dementia, music can help tap into long-term memories – for some, this can mean they can communicate through singing when no longer able to do so through speech.
Our heritage box and devised toolkit play an important role in improving people’s cognitive function, enhancing functional abilities, communication, and interpersonal relationships, allowing for a better quality of life.
Holding, Feeling, Remembering.
By getting the person you’re caring for to hold and describe each item in the memory box, they’re encouraged into storytelling, which can help them feel re-connected to these memories and less isolated.
With a little gentle prompting, elders can often recall memories from their earlier life and childhood. Finding this connection reduces confusion and anxiety that can occur with memory loss.
Although results are mixed and can depend on the individual, heritage boxes have been shown to help boost people with dementia’s quality of life and can also help with mental ability, communication and even mood.
Elders ageing well, cuturally appropriate care for people living with dementia and the support for care-givers are the key priorities of our Dementia Toolkits.
The African & Caribbean Dementia Toolkit is the first one in our set to be launched, with specific Toolkits for people of Indian, Pakistani and Bengali heritage currently being piloted and at the developmental stage.
This Dementia Toolkit comes in two versions, the ‘First Edition’ and ‘Premier Edition’ with there being a generalised Caribbean option, or options customised to land of birth.
– Customised to the individual’s land of birth with specific momentos ‘Home’.
– Vintage Photo Archive with large A3 laminated vintage photographic prints from ‘Home’ and the region.
– Toolkit Heritage File – Photographed pages with a set of structured, engaging, probing questions to ask.
– 1950/60s Air mail letters / envelopes specifically addressed to them.
– ‘Life –Journey’ section for you to record key parts of their early life, anecdotes, stories and those ‘nuggets of gold’ shared.
– Structured section for you to, continue and further develop and record your loved ones, ‘Life Journey’.
Vintage Photo Archive.
Vintage and at times antique photographs from the land of their birth – bringing back memories of; their grand-parents’ generation (many of whom played a key part in their early child-rearing), childhood days and how they used to play, trips to the local market, Church-life, how their parents used to cook, sew, work, relax and plenty more.
Memories and stories re-ignited, people living with dementia, can live more meaningful, purposeful lives when their identities and histories are creatively identified, protected, and preserved.
The Toolkit Heritage File
Reminiscing questions for Elders that lead to meaningful exchanges with your older loved ones. At times, knowing what questions to ask loved ones living with dementia may not always be easy. The pages in the Toolkit focusing on;
– Facilitating flowing conversations around the imagery on the large A3 laminated photo prints in the Vintage Album.
– Exploring the fond memories around the various physical objects within the Toolbox.
– Providing direct links to relevant sections in the Film and Video Archive.
Life-Story Journey Recordings
One guarantee is that no matter how well you know your loved one, there are still many unique stories about their upbringing, every day experiences and your/their family history that they have yet to share. Sections exists throughout for these unique stories, these ‘nuggets of gold’ to be recorded, ensuring that such family histories are not lost forever.
Encouraging ‘loved ones’ to share their personal recollections of memories from the past, in a structured fashion, encouraging them to reminisce is proven to be greatly beneficial in improving general wellbeing, self-esteem and their sense of identity.
Take a Deep Inhale - Aromatherapy (Deluxe Version)
Various objects that a ‘loved one’ can hold in their hands and inhale the aromas from ‘Back Home’, bringing back specific experiences and times spent ‘back in the day’ with, siblings, parents, grand-parents, family and friends. Aromatherapy can contribute significantly towards reducing stress and agitation, and improve the overall outlook of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Touch, Feel, Hold & Reminisce. (Deluxe Version)
Over 15 objects when held in their hands, ‘loved ones’ will be transported back to their younger days, with these vintage items from bygone eras triggering them patients into talking about the memories they still have. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a Father or Mother now living a dementia laden life of anxiety and disorientation, come to life and return to their Paternal / Maternal role as they tell, share and relate stories, many for the first time to their children and grandchildren. An overwhelming feeling of Well-Being being felt by all.
Archive Caribbean Film & Videos.
No need for a cinema booth as they can watch archive footage of Caribbean scenes from the 1930s, and through each and every decade up to the 1970s. These include over 50 films shot in, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad, Grenada, Guyana and Jamaica. Delve into your own island/country then see the similarities and differences when viewing the other islands.
The various sections include;
• Praise & Worship featuring a wide variety of Vintage Hymns and Traditional Caribbean Gospel Music.
• History & Growth of Caribbean Churches.
• Heritage Folklore – Guyanese Jumbies, Heartman of Barbados, Jamaican Rolling Calf, Nevetians Mock Jumby, Trinidad’s Papa Bois and many, many more.
• Heritage Documentaries from the 1940s -1970s, watch and see every day people from ‘back in the day’ in their day to day activities, reflect on their challenges, struggles and achievements and through them, ‘loved ones’ are seeing their own parents and grand-parents and the life that they themselves once lived.
1950s, 1960s Barbados, Sunday at St John Church, Rare Caribbean Home Movies
Gospel Soca Caribbean Style
Gospel Medley (Sister Marshall) - Gospel Music - Barbados
Clarksonville (A Free Village), St Ann, Jamaica
Issa Guyanese Ting - Episode 18 : Guyanese Folklore - Kanaima
MISS LOU / LOUISE BENNETT live in concert | black history month Jamaica, special edition
Folklore of Trinidad and Tobago:Soucouyant, Papa Bois, Buck etc.
"1952" A HISTORIC DESTINATION VIDEO OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
Grenada, West Indies, 1940
Generating New Ideas – Solving Big Problems
Let Us Customise Your Toolbox to Reflect Your Family Heritage
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