Doll Therapy promoting the respect and dignity of your residents.
 
A group activity for your residents exhibiting disturbing behaviors related to dementia. These activities using dolls promote the exchange of life stories between people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia while they manipulate, rock and bathe dolls, all this in a calm and secure environment where they can express feelings of love and tenderness in a group or individually.
 
Residents who may benefit from a doll therapy program typically show signs of depression, anxiety, moodiness, insomnia or fear, and of course, need to have expressed interest in participating in a recreational program using dolls. All our information on doll therapy comes from clinical research done by American researchers Linda Buettner, Ph. D., Suzanne Fitzsimmons, CTRS, Nancy E. Richeson, Ph. D, CTRS, and Marcia Sahlek, CTRS.
 
You do not have to follow a specific clinical procedure to prepare a doll therapy program that works. The moment of the day chosen for doll therapy is very important and usually takes place at the beginning of the afternoon when residents tend to be more anxious and agitated. A group of five participants to one recreation professional is a good ratio. For the therapy to be as successful as possible, you need to find a quiet room away from the unit to create an adequate environment. Then the recreation professional explains the purpose of the intervention to all participants and the activity can begin.
 
Let us introduce you to two activities using different dolls and having different characteristics and goals.
 
NURTURING DOLL
The doll that is best for this activity is the "Someone to Care For" doll (# 18005) in the "Occupational Therapy" section, because of its realistic weight and features. It is the doll used in the American clinical research done by Dr. Linda Buettner. For the bath activity, the "New Born Doll" (#1863) is a very good choice. Place a table, some diapers, bottles, and some rocking chairs in a corner of the room and maybe put on some soft music. Offer every participant a doll to hold and start the discussion by asking questions like: "How many children do you have?", "How can you stop a baby from crying?", "Where did you give birth to your babies?", etc. Then you can invite participants to sing lullabies, show baby pictures, talk about names, bathe their doll, etc. This relaxing activity can be very satisfying for your female residents who are suffering from emotional deprivation.
 
NURTURING DOLL WITH DEAR AUNT POLLY AND UNCLE PETE™ DOLLS (#18006)
Created by Nanci-Ames Curtis, an American psychologist, these dolls are now being used by over 400 nursing facilities throughout the United States. In some of them, they even created clubs around these dolls that represent an older married couple. When the group has been gathered in a quiet room, Dear Aunt Polly and Uncle Pete are introduced to everyone and open questions are being asked to start reminiscing about the old days. The fact that these dolls are old brings a different dynamic to the group discussion. Stories that participants share are about being parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and about their role in society and in their community. While they are discussing these topics, participants are invited to hold each doll, change their clothes, etc. Then follows a snack and an invitation to participate again in another session. A more complete protocol is included with each pair of dolls. For complete details on this product, click on product #18006 to your right.