STIMULATING ENGAGEMENT
Life Stories Activity Pack offers food for thought
Michael O'Connor, Key Account Manager for Unilever Food Solutions and Bernie Gorman, Activities Coordinator for Sancta Maria Nursing Home, Co Meath, celebrate the launch of Unilever's Life Stories activity pack with residents Betty McGlynn, Tess O'Reilly and Catherine Forde.
pioneering resource aimed at triggering happy memories using nostalgic recipes and tailored activities that stimulate resident engagement and mental stimuli has been designed by Unilever Food Solutions. The Life Stories resource is designed to promote, monitor and maintain cognitive health for nursing home residents. The activity pack works to improve the well-being of those in residential care. This is achieved by enabling residents to share their lives with others through fun and engaging activities. Jim Reeves, Customer Director of Unilever Food Solutions explains: “Freeing chefs to love what they do is the ethos of Unilever Food Solutions, so it was imperative we ignite inspiration to the nursing home chef community by providing traditional Irish recipes with a fresh twist in our Life Stories pack. “Aware of the vital role of the activity coordinators in nursing homes everyday across Ireland, we’ve worked closely with our partners to help design a resource pack that can not only help nursing home staff monitor their resident’s health, but can hopefully trigger memories that residents can share and enjoy together. “Our regional sales team has experienced a tremendous amount of positive feedback from nursing homes so far, so we are really proud of what Life Stories has achieved and hopefully over the coming months we’ll see more nursing homes coming on board.” Tadhg Daly, Chief Executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, believes that Life Stories is a positive tool that will add to the creative engagement that is daily within nursing homes. “This resource will no doubt play a role in supporting the dedicated staff in nursing homes who are enhancing the well-being of residents in their care. Creative activity and reminiscence therapy are pivotal within nursing homes to assist the physical and cognitive well-being of persons living within them. I
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commend and congratulate Unilever Food Solutions for developing this resource that will complement the holistic care provided within the home from home settings that are nursing homes. Life Stories, a holistic assessment tool, can support nursing home staff in triggering and sharing memories, bringing discussion, enjoyment and supporting cognitive development.” Bernie Gorman, Activities Coordinator for Sancta Maria Nursing Home, in County Meath has introduced the Life Stories pack into her activity programme and believes it is a positive and engaging resource: “The Life Stories pack is a great addition to our activity programme,” she said. “It not only brings our residents’ enjoyment, it also helps our staff gain valuable information about the residents through informal chats – allowing us to track resident’s memories by asking questions about the sorts of brands and foods they grew up eating, helping us to not only stimulate their brains’ but also bringing everyone closer together. I recommend Life Stories as a tool for any nursing home activity programme.”
Order a Life Stories Activity Pack: More information about Life Stories is available here:
http://www.unileverfoodsolutions.ie /promotions/lifestories
NHI NEWS — 44