All Five Senses - Poetry Engages the Senses to Combat Dementia
/Springtime is the season that awakens all our senses; bright chartreuse trees, the sound of birds chirping, the smell of crabapple blossoms, the feel of grass on bare feet, and the taste of fresh chives from a garden patch. It’s a welcome sensory explosion, much needed after our long winters. And it’s easy to forget how much we use our senses and how important they are to memory, our connection to each other and to ourselves.
For people with dementia, as some of their senses diminish, having positive sensory experiences plays a key role in their overall well-being.
So when COMPAS Teaching Writer Morgan Grayce Willow led a weeklong poetry residency at Levande Senior Living, she tapped into all five senses of memory care participants to unlocked their power of creativity.
Poetry participants explored the sensory experience of several objects & talked about the different textures, colors, sounds, feelings, associations, and recollections that came from them. Objects included a mushroom brush, a silk scarf, glass nuggets, a stone with a thumb-like depression in it, white pearl beads, red cinnabar carved beads, different shaped rattles, and a bracelet made from old typewriter keys. Morgan even brought everything in a bag made from old pages from Dick & Jane readers. The group created this witty and joyful community poem based on their reflections.
Comparisons
The brush is soft as suede shoes.
It feels like silk.
It’s good as an old-fashioned clothes brush.
The scarf is light as a feather.
That bag is cute as the dickens.
The beads are as glistening as pearls.
The ceramic object is simple like a rattle.
It shakes like chainmail.
The glass nugget is soft and slippery.
It feels like a nut.
The stone looks like it started out to be a shoe.
“April showers bring May flowers.”
The green nugget is my favorite,
and it is my color.
The pearl beads feel weird to me,
like they are lighter than they should be.
The wooden eggs are like the drummer section
of the band.
Sensory exploration through poetry and prompts is the power of creativity for every age and ability!
Want more information about COMPAS’ Artful Aging™ program? Please reach out to Marlaine Cox.
