Funds for Dementia Activities

After visiting many care and dementia homes, home care, community centres and talking to families, it's clear that people living with dementia often need extra time and patience to help them enjoy everyday life to the full. People living with dementia can benefit from interesting memory prompts, nostalgic games and artefacts to help prompt memories. Family, carers and professional care teams need reminiscence materials to help them engage and enrich social care. That's why, over the past nine years, I've been creating nostalgic materials based on study, research and feedback to help support elderly and people living with dementia. 

For activity coordinators, volunteers, day centres and drop in cafes, funds are always difficult to achieve. People kindly fund-raise to buy materials but of course, with Covid19, this hasn't been possible. You might wonder why you would donate to a care home - The reason is that many activity teams in care homes are required to work on a budget of ￡100 per month - and that can be for up to sixty residents. Visiting entertainers and days out are limited or non-existent, putting more strain on activity and lifestyle teams. Budgets are tight as lockdown rules continue and activity funds are even more stretched. If people living with dementia aren't able to join in the group activity, there may not be simpler, tactile or specific type of activities available for them to enjoy. 

I am Gillian Hesketh of Happy Days Dementia Workshop; I am passionate about helping care teams enrich social care. I run a small business, operating on low overheads and tiny margins, trying to get the memory and conversation prompts to care teams. That's why I'm here, asking for your support in providing materials for care teams, for the carers, relatives and of course, for the benefit of elderly, lonely and people living with dementia. 

We all know that a healthy diet, exercise and fresh air are necessary for good health but social engagment is also an important part of creating, maintaining and enjoying good health. We've seen how interating with nostalgic materials can prompt the long term memory and bring about meaningful stories to share. Many carers too say they feel uplifted when they have colourful interactive prompts and interesting materials to work with. 

How you can help - How this can work: I am not a charity or not-for-profit. If you choose to donate towards the dementia resources target, funds will be used to create memory care parcels and despatched to recipients. Funds will never be saved - they will be allocated at the earliest time. A list of donations will be available alongside a list of recipients. [you can remain anonymous if you wish of course]. Please feel you can contact me anytime for further information.

Here are some ideas to help care teams engage that would be in the care packages:

Time to Chat Conversation Cards.

Around The World Conversation Cards.

Match & Chat Pairs Card Game with nostalgic images.

Snakes Ladders & Chat Time - Traditional game with chat prompts.

1950s Reminiscence Box with Memorabilia Pack

Glorious Gardening Reminiscence Basket with Memorabilia Pack

By the Seaside Reminiscence Basket with Memorabilia Pack

1950s / 1960s / 1970s Memorabilia Packs

All About Me - Memory Jogger response booklet

If you would like to make a specific donation, you can choose a personal friend or relative, care home or community location. Please email: [email protected]

Thank you for reading all of this - If you would like anything clarifying, just message, email or phone me. On behalf of recipients, Thank you, Gillian