Oct 2020
Butterfly bags at Edwardstow Court
Edwardstow Court in Stow on the Wold have been using butterfly bags to support their residents living with Dementia.
Butterflies by nature can be colourful and bright as well as a symbol of positivity, often bringing fleeting moments of joy and happiness to those who see them. At Edwardstow Court the team have become the butterflies and use the items in their butterfly bumbags to seize these moments and create positive interactions between residents and the team.
The bags contain a variety of items including balloons, bubbles, hand creams, feathers, jokes and short quotes and poems, they can be regularly added to or changed.
Butterfly moments can be fun and playful or can be peaceful and calming which may just be to sit and stay with residents. The essence of ‘stillness’ is one that deserves particular attention when working with residents in the later experiences of dementia. During late stages of dementia focusing on the senses is particularly important. These can include those items in the bags such as the hand cream and feathers for touch but also some music or singing.
Gemma Joynes Activities Co-ordinator said “I found the therapeutic items in the bumbags were great for residents as they were using many of their senses. Blowing the bubbles and smelling the aromatic scents of the hand creams. The feathers are really tactile, and I have been using them to gently tickle their hands and cheeks.”