Writing can be an extremely healing, meditative, and beneficial activity for people with dementia. Journaling can be an incredibly positive experience and help someone with dementia in many ways. There are many reasons for this:
- Writing can be a form of self-expression. Even as memories fade, people with dementia can still have creative impulses and a desire to communicate. Writing can give them a way to express themselves, their feelings, and their experiences.
- Writing can stimulate the brain. The act of writing requires different areas of the brain to work together, which can help maintain cognitive function and potentially slow down the progression of dementia.
- Writing can improve mood and reduce stress. Many people with dementia may experience feelings of frustration, confusion, and anxiety. Writing can provide a sense of purpose and accomplishment, as well as a way to work through difficult emotions.
- Writing can help with memory recall. Writing down memories, thoughts, and experiences can help people with dementia access them later on. It can also serve as a tool to help prompt memories and improve overall memory function.
- Writing can be a social activity. Many people with dementia may feel isolated or disconnected from others. Writing can be a way to connect with loved ones and caregivers, whether through sharing what’s been written or through writing together.
Overall, writing can be a creative and therapeutic activity for people with dementia. It can help stimulate the mind, improve mood, and provide a sense of connection and purpose. Here’s a wonderful example that a user submitted from their loved one, who was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia:
I wander through a haze of time, My thoughts, they often seem to rhyme. Yet memories slip through my grasp, Like grains of sand, they fade so fast.
Faces blur and names escape, I struggle to keep up the pace. I know I knew you once before, But now your name I can’t explore.
The past is like a distant dream, A faded, distant, fleeting stream. My mind is like a tangled knot, A puzzle I can’t seem to spot.
I long to find a way to be, The person that I used to see. But every day I lose a bit, The pieces of my life don’t fit.
And so I wander on my own, A soul adrift, forever thrown. Into a sea of endless night, A never-ending, fading light.
But though my mind may falter still, My heart beats strong, with love to fill. And in that love, I find a way, To face each day, to live, to pray.
