Reminiscence involves the discussion of activities, experiences and events from the past and should ideally provide multi–sensory stimulation for persons living with dementia.
Apart from reminiscence therapy, persons living with dementia and their family members can participate in or create activities that incorporate elements of reminiscence. These can include looking through old photos, listening to old music or taking part in more tactile activities such as arts and crafts or painting to evoke positive memories from the past.
The following are a list of some local reminiscence-based activities and resources that persons living with dementia and their families can participate in.
Museum and Heritage Activities
Oral History and Heritage Projects
Past oral history projects in Singapore can be found at this page by the National Archives of Singapore.
“Oral History and Archives in Reminiscence Work”: A 2019 talk by Irene Lim, Principal Archivist and Patricia Lee, Senior Oral History Specialist at the National Archives of Singapore, about how narratives and archival materials, such as photographs, documents and sound archives are used to improve the well-being of Singapore’s silver community, including persons living with dementia.
Digital Reminiscence-Based Activities
House of Memories
House of Memories is a dementia awareness programme by National Museums Liverpool, which offers training, access to resources and museum-based activities. This programme aims to enable caregivers to provide person-centred care for people to live well with dementia.
The app includes everyday items from Singapore’s National Collection that are presented together with sounds, descriptions, and images corresponding to these items.
It also enables users to create their own personal albums by adding photos to the app. This capability allows persons living with dementia, caregivers, and care professionals to customise reminiscence materials for individuals.
The app has been localised and is accessible via the Singapore National Heritage Board’s website, and can also be downloaded free-of-charge from the Google Play and Apple app stores.
VintageRadio.SG
VintageRadio.SG is a free digital service that curates content for seniors. It includes a radio channel, live audio programmes run by DJs, podcasts, and a blog.
VintageRadio.SG is accessible via their website and via apps that can be downloaded from the Google Play, Apple, and Huawei app stores.
Tell us how we can improve?
- Ritchie, D. A. (Ed.). (2012). The Oxford handbook of oral history. Oxford University Press.