Imagine what it would be like if you got lost in the village where you’d lived for over 60 years. Or if you no longer recognised your friends, your family or spouse.
Dementia is a bewildering condition which has a devastating impact both on sufferers and their carers.
The Forget Me Not Project is a social care project being run by Ruddington Village Museum which will provide fun, engaging and safe events for those living with dementia and their carers.
Four themed activities are being developed which explore different aspects of life in the 1940s and 1950s:
- Films and cinema going
- Childhood toys and games
- Hymn signing
- Mystery domestic objects
The sessions spark reminiscences, encourage interaction between group members and allow those living with dementia to reconnect with their carers.
Dementia sufferers lose their memory, not their memories. The initial session carried out at Cotgrave Memory Café was a most enjoyable afternoon which elicited fascinating memories of the post-war period.
Each new activity will be ‘road tested’ at the Cotgrave Memory Café and then offered to a wider audience, including residential homes and memory cafes.
The project has been funded by the The Sandford Award for Informal Learning (SAIL), which supports museums and heritage sites wishing to develop and deliver innovative learning projects to a non-schools audience.
If you’d like more information, please email Gavin Walker, Vice Chairman of Ruddington Village Museum, at enquiries@ruddington-museum.org.uk.
Gavin Walker