Memory trigger cards that connect the generations, especially with those living with dementia.
(See Sarah Reed’s article in the Signpost Journal, Volume 14 No.3, February 2010)

Many Happy Returns researches, develops and produces original, practical, evidence-based reminiscence products and services that facilitate more enjoyable and meaningful inter-generational relationships for the benefit of older and younger people, families and carers and the wider community.

Sarah Reed founded the social enterprise in 2008, as a result of her mother’s experience of care home life and woeful lack of meaningful personal contact with care staff during her ten years of living with dementia; and also her own experience with the national charity Contact the Elderly over fifteen years, of which she is a monthly volunteer, group co-ordinator and trustee.

The mission reflects the main themes of My Home Life, her passion being to promote better quality of life for older people in care environments, by improving their wellbeing and helping them to maintain their identity and sense of self-worth. In so doing, the life of carers and families is also improved.

The therapeutic value of reminiscence cannot be over-stated. The work of Berntsen & Rubin in 2002, identifying the ‘Reminiscence Bump’ (approximate age 10 – 30) clearly demonstrates that even those with advanced dementia can recall and relate stories from their early years in detail, even if they cannot remember what they had for breakfast. This is continually borne out in our own research. As Graham Stokes says, “What we learned first, we lose last”.

To date, two CHATTERBOX products have been developed for people who were young people during the 1940s and 1950s. These are sets of 27 large-format memory trigger cards that contain pictures and background information about everyday life during the two decades, with prompts that encourage enjoyable, authentic, sociable and connected conversation. The sets are affordably priced and produced to a high standard and can be used without assistance by anyone over the age of eleven.

The 1940s cards include triggers like evacuation, making do and mending, washday, rationing and romance and so on. They are linked to the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 in History. The 1950s cards include subjects from chilblains to church on Sunday, from boredom and budgies, to Teddy Boys and travel.

The company offers one-day, and three-day REAL Communication workshops that help staff to improve their reminiscence, empathic engagement, active listening and conversational skills.

‘Collected Short Stories’ projects have been developed as direct learning outcomes of the workshops. Care staff are ‘buddied’ with residents and their families, to build autobiographical life story albums, based on improved enquiry and conversation techniques. The results of two such projects with residents with moderate / advanced dementia were reported at The National Care Homes Congress 2009 and 2010 and the UK Dementia Congress 2009 and 2010.

As Shaaron Caratella, Home Manager at Queens Court Care Home comments,
"I highly recommend Many Happy Returns products and services. The memory trigger cards stimulate better engagement - and often fascinating conversation - between young and old. They have allowed our residents, their families and our staff to get to know each other better in the most enjoyable way and have the way this has affected staff practice is encouraging and positive. The REAL Communication workshops for staff have led to them making ‘Collected Short Stories’ albums for many of our residents. Not only are they popular, but they are helping to improve the quality of care and connection and the relationship we have with one another across the whole home.”

www.manyhappyreturns.org

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