The library is excited to introduce dementia kits designed to promote cognitive stimulation, self-expression and engagement for individuals living with dementia. These kits provide a meaningful way to support people at various stages of dementia, as well as their caregivers.
“One of the purposes is to really trigger memories,” said Senior and Accessible Services Manager Katie Myers. “Something that somebody enjoys doing, and also something that they may want to share with their caregiver, or just be engaged in the activity because there’s a familiarity to it.”
Myers shared that the inspiration for the kits came from a collaborative effort with Rush University. “We started working with staff from the organization on programming about brain health and nutrition. Through conversations, we learned that other libraries were creating similar kits, and we knew we wanted to pursue that idea,” she explained.
While pre-made dementia kits are readily available for purchase, Myers and Collection Librarian Candy Rossin collaborated to create custom kits tailored specifically to the needs of the Arlington Heights community.
The library’s dementia kits come in six distinct themes: Art, Nature and Travel for individuals in the early to middle stages of dementia; and Birds, Gardening and Cars for those in the middle to late stages. Each kit contains engaging activities such as puzzles, art projects and games designed to stimulate cognitive function. For the middle to late-stage kits, a music player preloaded with songs from significant time periods is also included, helping to trigger memories and emotions.
The dementia kits are now available for checkout in the Library of Things new “Cognitive Care” category. This new category also includes other resources that individuals can benefit from, such as mind games and logic puzzles.
The kits will also be featured at upcoming community events, including Senior Center outreach, where caregivers and families can learn more about how the kits can support cognitive health.
Learn more about the library’s dementia kits and other Cognitive Care tools at ahml.info/lot.