A wee bit of culture never did anyone any harm. So, for a change, here are some writers, film stars. opera singers, actors and violinists at Kennys Bookshop in Galway and an insight into what the local health board is doing to encourage writing and reading in patients suffering from demensia.
By Democrat reporter
Dementia patients and those who struggle to communicate after a stroke have been supported to create autobiographical ‘life story’ books.
The books act as a fact file with details of a person’s background, interests and the people and things that are important to them.
They can help people to feel more connected to their family members by sparking memories and prompting conversations and can aid stroke patients’ rehabilitation.
The life stories, which are produced by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) service, can also be particularly valuable for health and care workers to get to know the person they are supporting in hospital, at home, or in a care home.
Leigh McKnight, pictured above, a healthcare support worker with the SLT service at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, has helped hundreds of patients and their families put together books which can help them cope with the devastating diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
She also works with stroke patients experiencing aphasia, and people who have suffered brain injuries and are unable to communicate the way they used to.
She told how patients’ families help by filling out a questionnaire about their loved one and providing materials such as photographs and life highlights.
Information gathered includes their likes and dislikes, key people in their lives, places they’ve travelled, hobbies and even how they take their tea or coffee.
In one example, Leigh used maps to illustrate all of the countries a patient had visited, and in another she included the lyrics to the song “Singing in the Rain” which the patient with dementia was still able to recite in full.
Other books include people’s favourite foods, music they enjoy, the football team they support and notes on how much physical activity they are capable of.
Every personalised story starts from the person’s birth, and goes on to include photos of their spouse and children, and key dates such as wedding anniversaries and the dates their children were born.
Leigh was recently nominated in the Employee of the Year category at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s local Clyde Sector Awards, where she received a certificate indicating her work is highly commended.
Speech and Language Therapist Geraldine said: “Leigh has a particular talent in making these life story books bright, colourful and engaging.
“She pays close attention to detail to individualise each book.
“This makes them entirely person-centred and they are very meaningful and appealing for service users to access.
“The feedback we’ve had about these books is incredibly positive and it means a lot to know the difference they have made to patients’ lives, and the comfort they’ve helped to bring their families.”
In one example, Leigh used maps to illustrate all of the countries a patient had visited, and in another she included the lyrics to the song “Singing in the Rain” which the patient with dementia was still able to recite in full.
Other books include people’s favourite foods, music they enjoy, the football team they support and notes on how much physical activity they are capable of.
Every personalised story starts from the person’s birth, and goes on to include photos of their spouse and children, and key dates such as wedding anniversaries and the dates their children were born.
Leigh was recently nominated in the Employee of the Year category at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s local Clyde Sector Awards, where she received a certificate indicating her work is highly commended.
Speech and Language Therapist Geraldine said: “Leigh has a particular talent in making these life story books bright, colourful and engaging.
“She pays close attention to detail to individualise each book.
“This makes them entirely person-centred and they are very meaningful and appealing for service users to access.
“The feedback we’ve had about these books is incredibly positive and it means a lot to know the difference they have made to patients’ lives, and the comfort they’ve helped to bring their families.”