Making A Difference for Patients with Dementia
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Since becoming an active charity in 2016, BCHC Charity has supported dementia services across the city, enhancing experience for patients and their families accessing BCHC services.
One of our first dementia-friendly initiatives was the introduction of Dementia Activity Stations on inpatient wards across the Trust. The stations comprise a large storage cupboard with clearly labelled drawers containing a range of games and activities to help relieve anxiety and encourage communication. We have also funded jigsaw puzzles ranging from 13 to 100 pieces, meaning that they are perfect for patients at any stage of their dementia journey, helping to stimulate, soothe, and promote reminiscence.
Monthly musical reminiscence sessions funded by the charity at several venues across the Trust proved popular amongst patients and staff. Studies show that musical performance in a healthcare setting has therapeutic benefits for patients such as improving mood, reducing stress and anxiety, providing comfort and even improving memory. The Charity Engagement & Communications Lead, Stacey Taylor, went out to West Heath Hospital to see a musical performance by Music for Health & Wellbeing specialist Louise Braithwaite. “It was amazing to see Louise work”, she says. “There was a particular patient whose eyes lit up when Louise arrived. She recognised her from her previous visits, and asked a nurse to allow her to follow Louise down through the bays on Ward 12 to hear all of her performance. She was clearly much happier afterwards”. Although the pandemic put a temporary stop on live entertainment, sesions resumed in 2022 thanks to our Arts & Culture in Health scheme.
Thanks to an idea from Ward 6 Nurse Anna O’Neill, BCHC Charity funded a scheme to offer dementia patients a Memory Box. Decorated by students at the University of Birmingham, the boxes provided a special, unique place for patients to store precious memories such as photographs, books and trinkets. Anna said, “Having a place for patients to keep things that are important to them can help reduce anxiety, especially when they are in the unfamiliar setting of a hospital ward. We encourage patients to look at the items when we see they are becoming distressed.” The items act as both a comfort and a distraction, helping to ease any stress caused by the unfamiliar surroundings.
On top of this, we’ve also funded items such as large calendar clocks to help patients become more orientated to the time and date, therapy dolls to provide comfort and companionship, and much more.
As a charity, we want to continue enhancing the care for patients with dementia and welcome any new ideas from staff, as well as patients and their carers. We also welcome individuals or companies that want to support dementia specific projects; please contact the Charity Team at bchc.charity@nhs.net