Dementia sufferers test their memories

Published: 16-Sep-2011


PEOPLE with dementia being treated on the Beechdale Ward at Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax are taking part in a special activity led by local theatre company, 2TourTheatre, designed to engage their memories. The group specialises in movement-based theatre and is running two performances on the ward for patients and staff from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The Memory Box installation is a sensory experience that represents memories patients told the theatre group during research prior to the event. It will contain clothing, food, sounds, smells, films, furniture and live performances all designed to offer an uplifting experience that the audience can explore in their own time. Dr Richard Coaten, project co-ordinator, said: "The aim of the project is not only therapeutic for patients, it also helps staff see the person behind the illness; a person who has had a full life with a myriad of experiences, someone so much more than simply a patient on a ward with problems."

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