GRANDCHILDREN VISITING GRANNY
Take your old C.D. player for her to have in her room. Paint it nice colours so everyone knows at the Nursing Home it belongs to your GRANNY. Learn some of the songs on the C.D. Ask her to help you learn the rest. See if you can make Granny smile. Take her highly scented flowers and let her feel the soft petals on her face. Make sure she does not eat the flowers or sprinkle sugar over them. Take a vase with you as the nursing home might not have a flower vase.

Don’t give her printed sheets of songs which they cannot read and don’t know what to do with. Give them a soft toy or blanket to hold if they look as if they would like to cuddle something. They have had years of hugging children and husbands and may not get a hug from one day to the next. Give her a HUG. Tell her she looks pretty if she has just had her hair done and nails painted. Don’t worry about her calling you by the wrong first name. She enjoys you being there. She’s just not very good at remembering the right words. Just having a nice time with her is more important.

For HCS’s (Health Care Assistants) working ‘in the community’.
Try and learn songs prior to your home visit. Play C.D. at the start of your visit. Wash, dress etc. as Care Plan. If you can, ‘pause’ tracks if lady starts conversation with you. Don’t ask the lady to eat and drink at the same time as singing. Ladies like to concentrate on the singing. They will feel confident if they know the songs and if you are singing with them. You will both be in the same world. Don’t give them sheets of lyrics - they may well not know what to do with the paper and might not be able to read because of poor eyesight or type of dementia. Ladies will remember words they can sing but not say. Encouragement important. Tell them they have a lovely voice. Tell them they must have been in a choir. They are familiar with ritual. Liaise with other Carers covering your local area so that you can all sing with the ladies.

This may not be written into your care plan but will make a HUGE difference to her day. After singing for about 20 minutes, the instrumental pieces at the end of the C.D. will relax them after their brains being active. Maker sure the main Carer at home has a break while you are with the dementia sufferer. If allowed, after washing and dressing the elderly ladies you can give them drink/eats according to Care Plan afterwards. Most important of all. HAVE FUN. Don’t dash off to your next appointment until C.D. is finished!

MAIN CARERS at Home
(Spouse, daughter, sons)
Learn songs and enjoy time together. They may not recognise you, but enjoy their life as it is. It is about NOW rather than ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’.

Pause and repeat favourite tracks. Say “I remember this one, do you?” or “This was my favourite one from Nursery school, perhaps you know it?”

Whistle if you can, when you make tea. The elderly were brought up with whistling, singing together at school assemblies and at church as normal ritual behaviour. Encourage simply dancing and swaying if they are physically able. Provide eats and drinks afterwards. Enjoy being with your loved one as she IS. Don’t forget you are doing an amazing job looking after someone who has Alzheimers and you deserve a Medal.

For daughters and sons - contact your mortgage company and employer and see if you can have an arrangement to work part-time if this is what you want to do.

For elderly spouses - don’t forget you are amazing. Make sure you are able to have a rest yourself. Sit down when singing together.  This is a 30 minute activity.