Familiarity and routine are very important for a patient with dementia.

As a carer you can help your relative or friend by:

• Completing an 'All About Me' document (please ask staff for document)
• Providing day clothes to help orientate the person to the time of day
• Providing familiar items such as photographs which can be used to reminisce
• Making a favourite music playlist which the person can listen to
• Engaging in activities with the person with dementia to promote social inclusion
• Completing our dementia carer survey (please complete a survey for the current ward your relative is on and not previous admissions)

Activities programme

Many of the wards have simple activities such as games and puzzles or access to crafts. If you feel that your relative is bored and would benefit from additional activities, please speak to ward nurses who can supply these. We also have an activities coordinator who will tailor activities to the needs of your relatives, while they are in our care. These may be individual or group activities or they may loan pieces of equipment.

A completed 'All About Me' document is always very useful. This allows the ward team and activities coordinator to select suitable activities for the needs of your relative. 

Any activities which have been given to your relative, is on loan, especially if it is electrical, therefore we would ask it to be returned to the ward staff or activities coordinator before discharge. Failing to return equipment leads to other patients with dementia not being able to benefit from this programme.

As a relative or carer, you are also very welcome to provide your own activities such as a radio or personal DVD player for your family member, as long as you let the ward staff know what you have brought in.