Balhousie Care Group to pilot online reminiscence therapy project for dementia patients

Balhousie Care Group has agreed to pilot a new reminiscence therapy project, to trigger memories in people with dementia, across its care homes in Scotland.

The Memory Box Network is a charity which aims to use online reminiscence therapy to increase the quality of life of those living with dementia. The team is developing a website where the content uploaded will create a talking point between a person with dementia and their carers and loved ones.

Reminiscence therapy is seen a form of mental keep fit.

Scott Downie, chairman of the Memory Box Network, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the Balhousie Care Group to test the website and ensure it’s as good as it possibly can be to generate the best results for people who have dementia.”

The trial will involve staff, residents and their families from Balhousie Care Group homes in Angus, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Perthshire and Fife.

Mr Downie explained: “It uses these real life past experiences to stimulate memories in people with short term memory loss and dementia, and it can cover a range of topics, from family and friends to loves and losses to achievements and life changing events. The stimulus can be in the form of photos, or pictures, sounds, music, voices, items from the past, or even smells. The therapy uses these prompts to encourage the individual to talk, discuss and ultimately to remember. “We have focused on generic things and places because if you ask someone to remember a specific event or place, such as a wedding, you are asking them to remember a six hour slot, however the place where they worked for 40 years or the bus stop they used every day is much more likely to be remembered.” The charity is completely reliant on donations, and is generating additional funding through an innovative social loan scheme where investors will receive a return on investment.

Tony Banks, chairman and founder of Balhousie care group, has become the first to invest £1,000 in the MBN social loan scheme. The money will be invested in the charity’s work and then returned to him in full in three years’ time.

Mr Downie said: “We are also very grateful to Tony for stepping up and becoming the first investor in the MBN Social Loan scheme, which gives us funding to continue with our work while generating extra revenue. Any profit on his original loan will be donated to the Memory Box Network and he will receive his money back in full.”

Mr Banks said: “We are hugely supportive of initiatives such as the Memory Box Network which help people who have Alzheimer’s and dementia to live as full a life as possible, and I am pleased to support the charity by investing in the social loan scheme. “Recent research has shown that reminiscence therapy and life story work can improve the mood, cognitive ability and well-being of those with mild to moderate dementia, and our team of nurses and carers will be helping to build the bank of material and using it to engage our residents.”

The website will be completely free for users and once it is launched, hopefully next year, the network will be accessible from any device such as laptops, smartphones and tablet computers.

Balhousie Care Group cares for a number of residents with dementia in its 27 homes, many of which have dedicated dementia units.

For more information, visit www.memoryboxnetwork.org