______Memory Café Guest Artist/Activity Facilitator Guide

We are delighted that you are interested in sharing your skills with us. Creativity and interpersonal connection are basic human needs that endure or even grow stronger in people living with dementia.

We ask the guest artist/activity facilitator to share a little of what they do, and then to facilitate a participatory activity. A memory café is not a performance space; participation by the guests is the key to a meaningful and fun experience.

Tips

  • Think of ways to get guests participating and interacting, whether it be through movement, discussion, singing, making visual art, etcetera. Talk with the café coordinator about what guests might enjoy.
  • If you do not have experience working with people who live with dementia, please read the Communication Tips below.
  • Guests may be sensitive to feeling that they are being talked down to, or treated as children. It can be challenging to introduce art activities that many have not participated in since they were children. Talking a little about the tradition or cultural context of the art form or activity helps to set a dignified tone. Treating each person as an adult and with respect is essential
  • Avoid raising the topic of dementia unless guests do. Not everyone has been diagnosed or accepts their diagnosis.
  • Let volunteers and staff know how they can help you, for example, by passing out items, or jumping in to participate if guests seem hesitant.

Logistics

The _____Memory Café usually meets on [day/time]. We ask the guest artist/facilitator to arrive by [time].

We [are/are not] able to offer an honorarium [standard amount/amount to be determined].

The typical schedule at _____Memory Café is:

[time volunteers arrive]

[time guests arrive]

[social time]

[structured activity]

[closing time]

Thank you again for your interest in the_____Memory Café! For more information, please contact ______at ______.

Memory Café Communication Tips

1.Be warm and friendly. A smile means more than words!

2.People with dementia often have trouble initiating conversations or tasks. Help them get started, and then they may enjoy chatting. Allow extra time for them to respond to you.

3.If someone repeats him or herself, or shares incorrect information (e.g., “Today’s a nice summer’s day!”), don’t correct them. Simply respond to the emotion or message at the root of their statement (“I really love, summer, too!”)

4.Avoid asking informational questions (“Where are you from?” “What did you eat for breakfast today?”) Some guests will become nervous if asked to recall information. Instead, share your own thoughts (“I’m from Maine, where it’s even colder and snowier than here!” or “This morning I ate two bowls of oatmeal, with brown sugar.”) Then the person can respond to you, and you can follow his or her lead.

5.While volunteers are encouraged to reach out to guests who appear disengaged, it’s okay if someonetruly prefers to just sit and watch. Our goal issimply to help each guest to participate as fully as he or she wishes to.

6.Dementia causes changes in perception, and narrows a person’s field of vision. Approach guests from the front so as not to startle them, and sit down with them, so that you’re at eye level.

7.Dementia meddles with a person’s perceptions and erodes their memory, but their ability to feel emotion endures. Sometimes people with dementia can become even more perceptive about the emotions of the person they’re talking to. So -

  1. Take your time; don’t make them feel that you’re rushing off.
  2. Show respect. Never treat someone with dementia as if they were a child. They are adults, with decades of life experience.
  3. Be warm and friendly!

8.Some guests have not been diagnosed, or do not acknowledge their diagnosis. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or a related disorder can be very upsetting and threatening to some. Therefore, don’t raise the topic of dementia. If the guest raises the topic, then feel free to discuss it with him or her. If the guest makes a point of telling you that s/he DOES NOT have dementia, please don’t try to correct him/her. Just follow the guest’s lead.

9.In general - don’t worry if you say “the wrong thing.” Just be warm and friendly!

Safety and concerns

Let a staff person know right away if:

1.You have any concerns about the safety or well-being of guests.

2.You feel uncomfortable due to a guest’s behavior. Some people with dementia lose some of their social inhibition, and may become too affectionate, ask questions that are too personal, or say inappropriate things. The person would probably never have dreamed of behaving this way before developing dementia. Without judging the guest, staff will step in and get you out of this situation . You have a right to feel comfortable.

3.Someone asks you to assist with personal care, such as helping someone to walk or to use the restroom. Volunteers should NOT help with these types of tasks.