Centre for Policy on Ageing



Reminiscing, poetry writing and remembering boxes — personhood-centred communication with cognitively impaired older adults
Author(s)	Chris Hagens, Amanda Beaman, Ellen Bouchard Ryan
Journal title	Activities, Adaptation & Aging, vol 27, no 3/4, 2003
Pages	pp 97-112
Source	http://www.tandfonline.com
Keywords	Memory and Reminiscence ; Poetry ; Writing ; Communication ; Cognitive impairment ; Canada.
Annotation	This Canadian study describes a method of facilitated communication for extending the well-known benefits of reminiscence, by recording the words of nursing home residents and creating a concrete memory resource. Reminiscence sessions were conducted with five cognitively impaired older adults, whose words and phrases were arranged into poetry, revealing the essence of each person. Information gained was used to construct personal Remembering Boxes (or memory boxes) filled with meaningful objects and writings. As communication tools, the poems and Remembering Boxes helped staff learn more about residents, and proved useful when residents were sleepless or agitated. Remembering Boxes offered residents enhanced interactions with their families and staff, and greater control of those interactions. These tools can affirm the personhood of the residents amid their confusion and cognitive decline. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-040512211 A
Classmark	DB: HK6: HKP: U: E4: 7S
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.