Louise Morse explores why Christmas has a special gift for people living with dementia

Tuesday 15th November

2.30pm

Zoom

For most of us Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time for family reunions and feasting, renewing friendships, giving gifts, and enjoying the traditional hymns and carols. It’s about special church services where we can almost hear the angels ‘bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold.' First and foremost Christmas is when we celebrate God’s gift to us of His Son, Jesus, to rescue a fallen world. It’s why we celebrate by giving gifts to one another.

Christmas also has a special gift for people living with dementia. Most older people have long term memories of Christmases past. With its traditional hymns and carols Christmas can be a powerful reminiscence therapy. Reminiscence therapy helps recall the past as a means of owning it, and strengthens a sense of self. It brings a sense of contentment which can enable ‘rementing’, where the person reappears for a short while through the fog with “a measurable recovery of powers that had apparently been lost.” (Kitwood, Dementia Reconsidered)

In this Zoom Meeting we will look at ways of how to best look after people with dementia this Christmas, and enabling this therapy.