Communication in leisure activity

Much of the support offered to people who are newly diagnosed with dementia is in group settings, like memory cafes, day centres and activity groups. These groups are often focused on providing and supporting leisure activities like gardening, singing, art and doing quizzes. They are run by staff who aim to support people living with dementia to participate in various activities in ways that are accessible and adapted to them. Taking part in leisure activities in these settings is made possible by staff and people living with dementia talking to each other and doing activities together. Conversations between them can ‘make or break’taking part in an activity. This chapter looks closely at communication, and specifically at how people living with dementia are supported to take part in leisure activities. It shows that activities of this kind can be opportunities for people living with dementia to participate as equals. It also shows that the success of an activity rests jointly on the staff member and the person living with dementia. Individual leisure activities themselves are not ‘good’or ‘bad’for people living with dementia. Instead, much depends on how people are supported and how the activity is tailored to the competencies of those taking part. Activities work best when they are done with, not on, people living with dementia.