After doing years of training and consultancy work, particularly as a Dementia Care Mapper, but also in my work with Meaningful Care Matters, I have witnessed many, what I refer to as, ‘Magical Meaningful Moments’.

It’s a privilege to observe dementia care because, looking on, I often see hard-working care-workers create a significant change in a person’s happiness, quality of life and well-being. Sometimes, they are not even aware of the transformation they have created because they may be busy and moving on to their next task.

Once, I was undertaking an observation in a very busy care home. I had been observing a small group of people with dementia for approximately three hours when something wondrous happened.

One lady living with dementia had been completely disengaged – she just stared at the ground, not interacting with the environment around her at all. Then, the actions of one care-worker created a Magical Meaningful Moment, without him even knowing.

As in all care settings, approaching lunchtime can be busy, yet Satinder took a moment to fetch the lady some photographs of cats, before heading to his next task. In the next few moments, this lady looked through the photos and started to smile, her body language relaxed and she started to look around the room.

In less than 2 minutes, Satinder had greatly improved this lady’s well-being – in fact, her mood changed completely for the next twenty minutes! Satinder wasn’t aware of it; however, he’d created a Magical Meaningful Moment.

Magical Meaningful Moments can be fleeting yet precious, and have the potential to increase quality of life, well-being and happiness. We, as care workers, create these moments daily. 

So, how exactly can we consciously try and make them happen?

Although words are important, your attitude and body language are even more so. Create an upbeat, safe space when interacting with those in your care by using a warm tone of voice, light physical touch and kind, engaging facial expressions.

To maximise the communication opportunities of those in your care, be sure to use simple words and sentences. If your message is not understood, repeat, rephrase, or try and articulate it differently.

In the later stages of dementia, people often prefer a more sensory approach to communication. To help get your message across, you can utilise small physical gestures to help the individual feel a sense of comfort and security. Sometimes, simply holding hands, touching, hugging, and praise will create a beautiful moment of connection.

 4.  Reminisce on the good days

Recalling past events can be a soothing activity, particularly for individuals with dementia. To stimulate conversation, it may be worth talking about past events, or even introducing a life history or memory book that contain a collection of photographs, pictures and descriptions so that they can talk about their life experiences and loved ones.

Each person in your care will have different likes and dislikes. It is imperative that you find out what those in your care love and enjoy, as this can help create those sought-after Magical Meaningful Moments (just like Satinder!).

If those in your care are having difficulty communicating, always be patient and kind. Look for indicators, such as non-verbal cues and body language, and respond accordingly. When words fail, let intuition and feelings speak. 

Ultimately, I believe that through observation, understanding and kindness, dementia care workers can create Magical Meaningful Moments, witnessing first-hand the positive impact they have on other peoples’ happiness and well-being.     Mike Phillips, Associate Consultant Trainer at Meaningful Care Matters