An Alzheimer’s Society-funded project has developed a set of tools designed to provide meaningful activity for people with advanced dementia, while also involving carers.
Judith Bower, internal trainer and Dementia Adviser at the Alzheimer’s Society in Lancashire, and Jane Souyave, Senior Graphic Design Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, had noted how often fidgeting and repetitive movements came up in conversations with carers.
They wanted to dispel the myth that fidgeting is negative or a kind of ‘disruptive behaviour’. Instead, they decided to recreate repetitive fidgeting actions such as turning, twisting, rolling, pulling and flicking movements for positive ends.
They applied, successfully, to innovation funds run by the Alzheimer’s Society and the University of Central Lancashire to help develop an intervention called Positive Connections.
Work began to design and test their ideas, and this resulted in five wooden, handheld, tactile tools that come in a handy pack called the Fidget Widget Toolkit.
The tools are designed to not rely on memory or words, and not to represent a recognisable tool, such as a screwdriver or kitchen utensil. This means that people interact with them creatively, with no right or wrong way to use them.
Over a two-year period, the Fidget Widget Toolkit was tested in people’s own homes, day centres and care homes. A range of measures were used to measure its impact, including interviews and audio and video recordings.
Judith Bower and Jane Souyave found that men and women engaged with the tools equally. Families, who were supported with techniques to connect and communicate, enjoyed being involved. They particularly appreciated that these were interactions, which weren’t focused on providing personal care.
The Alzheimer’s Society has partnered with Active Minds, a supplier that develops activities for people with dementia, to produce the Fidget Widget Toolkit. It will be available through the Alzheimer’s Society online shop from late January 2019.
