The Joy & Significance of Reminiscing Blessed Assurance
Written By: Kayla Dudley
When I think of the term “reminiscing,” I imagine dwelling fondly on precious memories from the past. This fosters feelings of gratitude as well as peace and contentment. It reminds me of Julian of Norwich’s beautiful words: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
How does this relate to persons living with dementia? Well, perhaps it matters more to them than to any!
It is very prevalent among persons living with dementia to have a tendency toward a stronger long-term memory than a short-term memory. For this reason, you will often see a person living with dementia struggling to remember the names of their children but being very familiar with the names of their parents and/or siblings. They may struggle to remember what they had for breakfast, but they may recall their childhood dog and milking the dairy cow on the farm in their teenage years.
Our gift to them as care partners is to focus on this strong, long-term memory, lean into it, and provide activities that encourage the utilization of it. How much more beautiful life is when we don’t attempt to “make them remember,” but rather enter into their reality and join in on what they already do remember. As the old adage goes, “It’s easier to steer a ship that’s already moving in the right direction.” Reminiscing with our loved one is also a gift that we give to ourselves.
So, What Does Reminiscing Entail?
There are a plethora of ways to promote reminiscing among those living with dementia, many of which we utilize with our residents at Bella Groves on a daily basis. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Photo albums. This could include looking through high school yearbooks together, sharing baby pictures, celebrating milestones (such as births, marriages, festivals, and events), creating a “memory book” together with your loved one, and more.
- Clothing. Looking at clothing such as homemade dresses your loved one made in their younger years, a dress they wore when they were little, and their wedding gown can bring back fond memories.
- Music. Music is known to be exceedingly useful in the lives of those living with dementia. For those who grew up in church or were pastors’ wives, listening to old hymns may evoke feelings of nostalgia and deep peace. For country folks, listening to Willie Nelson, Conway Twitty, and Johnny Cash may have them belting out music you didn’t even know was living in their soul! Instruments can also be helpful tools in order to promote reminiscing.
- Activities. Reminiscent activities can include anything from visiting a favorite restaurant, seeing old friends, quilting together, having the person living with dementia “teach” you something they are proficient in, ordering a cone from an ice cream truck with that nostalgic jingle, watching a tv show from their time period (i.e. “MASH” or “I Love Lucy”), reading a thrifted book, magazine, or newspaper, and more.
Perhaps one of the biggest messages that “reminiscing” accomplishes is that of contentment. Fanny Crosby, who was blind from childhood, reflected on the notion that perspective is everything. She says: “Soon, I learned what other children possessed, but I made up my mind to store away a little jewel in my heart which I called Content. This has been the comfort of my whole life.” Notably, Fanny Crosby has been one of those individuals who has promoted reminiscing among people with learning disabilities, as she was the one who penned the beloved song, “Blessed Assurance.”
O what a happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don’t.
To weep and sigh because I’m blind,
I cannot, and I won’t.
Here at Bella Groves, we focus on what people living with dementia still have, rather than what they have lost. For more information about our community and the training and resources we offer, please contact our team. We would be honored to help you!
