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As a part time job, I go into care homes and do exercise or craft sessions. I absolutely love it and I use so many of the crafts with my children too. When thinking about what crafts to do with children and adults with dementia and other concerns, there isn’t just the mundane things like ‘can they do it’, ‘will they enjoy it’ and ‘how long will it take’ that we have to think about. There are also the outcomes of each craft. This craft has far reaching potential, especially with those suffering from dementia.

As you can see, most of the crafts are completed with a cuppa!!

Equipment

Tissue paper. Amazon do a great pack here.

Photo frames. I had some left over from many years ago when I did a craft elsewhere, but you can raid charity shops or nab these.

PVA glue. These small bottles are a good size and weight to be used and can be topped up too.

Paint brushes. These are a perfect size for this craft.

Method

There are many benefits for the participants to complete these steps on their own but obviously monitor those who may need additional support

Rip up bits of tissue paper and scrunch them up.

Apply a few blobs of PVA glue to the edges of the frame and spread around the whole frame edge with a paint brush.

Stick the scrunched up tissue paper to the glue (you may need to add more glue depending on how long this step takes - it may dry out).

Leave frames to dry.

Add a photo to the frame.

Outcomes

The initial and obvious outcome is that the participant has to really work the hands to get the glue in the right place, the glue spread around, the tissue paper ripped and scrunched and then applied to the frame. This may tire the participant so don’t be afraid to come back to it at a later time.

The far reaching outcome is the photo that goes in to the frame. Photos are a great tool for everyone to remember a specific point in time but for those suffering with dementia or young children, a photo may trigger a memory or encourage conversation. And hopefully this frame and photo will be on their rooms so this can continue.

I was really impressed with our frames - you could do a colour theme, a mix of colours, a single colour or do one of each!! I’d love to see your creations……