Poetry

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A group to share your own poetry and both modern and ancient poetry that you enjoy 

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Poetry can be a powerful tool

by Julie

Jun 27

Poetry can be a powerful tool in dementia care, offering therapeutic benefits for individuals living with the condition and their caregivers. Engaging with poetry can improve mood, communication, and social interaction, while also fostering a sense of identity and well-being. 
Here's how poetry is being used and its impact:
Therapeutic Benefits:
  • Improved Communication:
    Poetry can help individuals with dementia express themselves, even when verbal communication is difficult. It can also aid in recalling memories and connecting with others. 
  • Enhanced Mood and Social Interaction:
    Poetry readings and writing activities can boost mood, reduce anxiety, and promote social interaction among people with dementia and their caregivers. 
  • Cognitive Stimulation:
    Poetry can help stimulate cognitive function, potentially slowing down the progression of memory loss. 
  • Sense of Identity and Agency:
    Participatory poetry projects can help individuals with dementia feel a sense of purpose and identity by creating something new and expressing their experiences. 
How Poetry is Used:
  • Shared Reading:
    Reading poems aloud can be a calming and engaging activity for people with dementia. 
  • Poetry Writing Workshops:
    Facilitated poetry writing sessions can encourage self-expression and creativity. 
  • Collaborative Poetry Projects:
    Working with poets and caregivers to create poems based on the words and experiences of individuals with dementia can be a powerful way to capture their stories and perspectives. 
  • Performance Poetry:
    Poetry performances, particularly in memory clinics, can create a positive and inclusive social environment. 
  • Poetry in Care Homes:
    Many care homes are incorporating poetry into their activities to enhance the lives of residents with dementia. 
Examples:
  • The Alzheimer's Society has funded various poetry projects, including shared reading programs and participatory poetry workshops in care homes and hospitals. 
  • John Killick, a poet, has collaborated with care homes to create poems based on the words of people with dementia. 
  • The Alzheimer's Poetry Project (APP), founded by Gary Glazner, uses poetry to engage and stimulate individuals with dementia in memory clinics. 
  • Literature Works' "Poetry Cares" project: uses poetry to alleviate confusion and speech difficulties in people with memory loss. 
In conclusion: Poetry offers a valuable way to connect with individuals living with dementia, promoting communication, well-being, and a sense of identity.It can be a powerful tool for both therapeutic and creative engagement. 
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I remember reading a few years ago that there were ideas to have poetry readily available in doctors surgeries.