Simple Tools for Enhancing Dementia Care Services: Blue Plates, Play with Purpose and Validation

While there is not yet a cure for dementia, there are simple ways to help ease the frustration of a loved one with dementia and improve their quality of life. Some retirement communities employ strategies such as color theory, purposeful play and the Validation Method as part of their comprehensive dementia care services.

How can colors help with dementia care services?

Colors have a strong impact, not only on emotions but also in how we perceive and interact with the world. Using color as a design strategy can enhance the independence of a person with dementia.

For example, a lack of contrast, such as a carpet and a vinyl floor that are the same color, can make transitions smoother. This can help the person with dementia feel more confident when crossing a threshold, instead of hesitating at the change, getting disoriented and possibly losing their balance. On the other hand, for many people with memory loss, a black doormat may appear to be a deep hole, something that should be avoided and may even be frightening.

Color can also provide a subtle reminder of what actions are expected in a particular location, building on familiarity and routine. For example, if all bathroom doors are blue and all closet doors are yellow, the color association makes it easier for people with memory loss to remember where the toilet is.

One of the easiest ways retirement communities can improve dementia care services is by changing the color of their dishes. Sometimes, people with memory loss cannot recognize what is on their plate as food. They may even eat from someone else’s plate as a result. Colored dishes can reduce visual distractions, provide a visual cue to encourage eating what is on their plate, and may even stimulate appetite. Research has found that food consumption increased 25% simply by changing the plate color. Ecumenical Retirement Community uses blue plates to help residents with dementia stay focused on their meal.

What is play with purpose?

For those receiving dementia care services, play offers the opportunity for meaningful engagement. Activities that stimulate the brain can be calming and help to build social connections with caregivers, family members and neighbors. Often, play with purpose involves a tangible result, such as a craft project, or a physical activity, like a walk. The Alzheimer’s Association shares 50 activities to engage loved ones in middle or late stage Alzheimer’s disease, including:

• Have a picnic in the backyard
• Model with play dough
• Bake cookies
• Water plants

As part of our dementia care services, Ecumenical Retirement Community provides opportunities for brain fitness, social engagement and recreation. Activities include memory games, exercise and wellness programs.

Tover Table

The Tover Table (Tovertafel), an award-winning technology from the Netherlands, is one of our many programs designed to be mistake-free, allowing residents to be fulfilled and successful when participating. The interactive game console requires minimal hand movements to easily engage residents with dementia in active play. Benefits for our residents receiving dementia care services include an increase in alertness and focus, a reduction in restless and tense behaviors such as sundowning, positive engagement during family visits and within the memory support neighborhood and just plain fun.

Activity kits

Activity kits are another way Ecumenical residents receiving dementia care services stay engaged when they are not participating in a structured program. The kits are especially effective at reducing challenging behaviors or sundowning. Kits may invoke reminiscence (such as school days or farm life), engage a particular hobby (such as woodworking or baking) or provide opportunities for sensory play (such as fidget kits). Families are encouraged to use activity kits to make their visits more playful, too.

Nurture therapy

Our nurture therapy helps some individuals with dementia, particularly parents or those who had been in a caring profession such as teaching, find purpose and comfort, often sparking memories from an important time in their life. Lifelike dolls, stuffed animals and robotic companion animals provide an object to care for while therapy pets offer opportunities to nurture a living being. Activities such as folding and sorting baby clothes, intergenerational programs and weighted blankets can also provide comfort.

Musical Moments

Because Ecumenical focuses on the individual and what he or she needs for support and care, music can be an important part of dementia care services. Music is proven to connect people to a particular moment in time of their life and sentiment. It has therapeutic benefits to ease anxiety, irritation and demeanor. Through a collaborative discovery with their families, our team identifies residents’ musical preferences: what type of music they enjoyed: favorite genre, artist or band, and song; if the resident played an instrument or sang in a choir or band; and even what music the resident did not enjoy. A personal playlist is curated based on these insights and played on a personal headset or device for the resident, particularly when a calming influence is necessary. As the team learns more of what resonates with the resident, they will update the playlist for the resident’s enjoyment.

How does the Validation Method help people with dementia?

The Validation Method, a compassionate communication approach, is an integral part of Ecumenical’s person-centered dementia care services. Using Validation, family, caregivers and staff listen with empathy and ask questions that help people with memory loss express themselves fully. This valuable memory support technique reduces anxiety in the person with dementia while building trust and restoring their dignity. When the person with dementia feels heard, they are more likely to engage in social behavior, strengthening relationships.

Dementia care services at Ecumenical Retirement Community

Memory loss in a loved one is challenging for the entire family. That’s why Ecumenical provides families with resources and a support group, as well as providing the resident with personalized dementia care services.

Our Compass program uses the Global Deterioration Scale to help us understand where our memory support residents are along their dementia journey. This insight allows us to better anticipate a resident’s needs and target effective caregiving approaches for them, improving their quality of life. The Compass program also enables us to better communicate care changes with the family and medical providers.

Ecumenical Retirement Community has a variety of accommodation options for memory support residents. Our monthly rentals include private apartments and friendship suites which offer a shared living arrangement for instant companionship and a lower monthly rate. Special mixed-care plans help couples stay together while providing the care each needs, including living in a secure memory care neighborhood.

Our campus advisors in Harrisburg, Pa. are available any day of the week to review care options. Schedule a tour or speak to one of our helpful senior care advisors today.