Playfulness and Dementia: A Practice Guide

Establishing playfulness as an essential component of dementia care, this positive and uplifting book will be key in changing attitudes and providing ideas for new and valuable ways of interacting and being with individuals with the condition.

John Killick explores the nature of playfulness and the many ways in which it can enrich the lives of people with dementia, including as a means of maintaining relationships and communication, supporting communication and generally lifting the spirits. Specific approaches already in existence are described, including improvised drama, clowning and laughter yoga, and a chapter on the playful approach to art and craft activities is also included. Personal accounts of playfulness by individuals with dementia, relatives and an actor with a decade's experience of using playful approaches with people with dementia offer rich first-hand insights into its transformative potential. Throughout the book, the importance of spontaneity and of being with the person with dementia in the present moment is emphasised, and the reader is encouraged to develop a playful mindset. A selection of colour photographs amply demonstrate playful approaches in action.

Offering a fresh and perhaps unexpected perspective, this book is essential reading for dementia care practitioners and managers, activity coordinators, therapists, people with dementia and their relatives, and anyone else concerned with the wellbeing of those with the condition.

John Killick has been the Writer in Residence and Poet Mentor on several Poetry and Dementia projects over the last 25 years. He currently runs a residential Poetry and Dementia course in Wales.