Love Libraries – Fife Dementia Support: Creating magical moments for people living with dementia

Our libraries are spellbinding places full of imagination and wonder – but some are offering a little extra magic to people living with dementia.

OnFife, the cultural charity that runs libraries in the region, became the first in Scotland to offer a Tovertafel, or ‘magic table’ in 2019 (it now has two). The award-winning design projects light games that people can interact with using their hands and arms, to make physical activity fun. The innovative table stimulates physical, cognitive and social activity, and provides moments of happiness.

Connection

Samantha MacDougall, Community Wellbeing Manager at OnFife, said: “It’s an amazing piece of kit. The games were co-designed by people living with dementia. It’s really good for connection and communication and involves a bit of movement as well.

“For example, leaves are projected onto the table and you ‘brush’ the leaves away to spot the ladybirds underneath. Another game has flowers that start off small and you move your hand to make them bigger. We can also have fish swimming around that you can scoop up with a paper plate.”

Therapy

Fife’s libraries also offer RemPods, or reminiscence pods, which are designed to evoke memories from the past. They have authentic memorabilia from days gone by and help people living with dementia feel more relaxed and interact with others.
The memories prompted by familiar settings have a calming effect and make people feel more empowered.

Samantha said: “The pods are like pop-up reminiscence rooms. They help lower anxiety, increase focus and can have a mood-enhancing effect for people living with dementia.

“We have three in Fife, including a pub – because who wouldn’t want a pub? – which has beer pumps, games like dominoes, beer mats, tumblers. We also have an old-fashioned shop – with scales, tins of custard and sweetie jars – and a beach. The beach RemPod is very special because it has a fan and you can blow in scents like suncream. It also has a heat lamp which feels like the sun is shining on you.

“The RemPods are fairly portable so can travel about our libraries and are good conversation starters.”

Fun

Fife libraries also offer Moments in Time sessions for people living with dementia and their families. All the facilitators have had dementia awareness training.

Samantha said: “We focus on enjoying a ‘moment in time’ using a combination of music, photographs and object-handling and we normally have a theme each session, anything from childhood memories to a night out on the town. It’s all about having fun.

“We also have Movie Moments, which are dementia-friendly film screenings at our theatres. Library staff run and create these events. The lights are turned up and the sound turned down. We tend to have musicals because music is a game-changer for people living with dementia. They can reminisce and connect with their memories. It’s about having fun, being accessible and letting people participate in entertainment.

“Our Movie Moments have been really successful – one gentleman said he hadn’t seen his wife who is living with dementia concentrate for an hour-and-a-half and enjoy herself for years. It’s just amazing.”

Another huge hit in Fife has been dementia-friendly discos, called Groove On, which offer physical as well as cognitive benefits.

Samantha said: “Music is a great leveller. It doesn’t matter what age you are, your abilities, background, music brings people together and starts discussions.

“There’s also the physical benefit of moving, dancing and having fun and not really realising.

“We have a proper DJ, although the sound is turned down and the lights are turned up, and we have people with walking frames, wheelchairs, sticks. We had one chap up dancing who was just weeks from his 99th birthday.”

Funding

OnFife received funding from the Life Changes Trust to build a programme of cultural activities for people living with dementia. As part of this, Kirkcaldy Galleries – home of the town’s main library and a designated dementia hub – has been kitted out with dementia-friendly signage.

Samantha said: “Dementia-friendly signage gives people increased confidence and independence, because they can come to us on their own. And improving the signage for people with dementia improves it for everybody.

“A focus group of people with dementia helped us pick out the challenging points throughout the building. After the signage was put in, we took them back and they said it was 10 out 10 and how signage should be done. That’s brilliant to hear.”

Learn more about dementia projects and Fife’s libraries at onfife.com/libraries-archives/.