Young People

Third visit to the dementia care home this week. This time it was a little different, instead of delivering an activity we observed a group of young people from a local school coming in to sing Christmas Carols to the residents. It was amazing how much of a positive effect the presence of the young people had on the residents. They were smiling, humming along and holding hands with the young people. Of course this is not all of the residents, some weren't aware of what was happening.

It reminded me of one of my friends who is a painter, she delivered a project in a residential home, with people who suffer from dementia and some young people from a local school. She had them working in pairs to create paintings and collages. From what I remember she said it was a positive experience for all involved.

It was nice to hear the residents talking about how much they had enjoyed it after the young people had left.

I suppose for most people it is nice to remember your childhood, or some people are thinking about when their children were young, or their own grandchildren. It is also the change of having something different to see and perhaps the music is what is raising their spirits. It could be a combination of all of these things; whatever it is, it brought a completely different atmosphere to the home, if only for a little while.