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Society often seems to feel that older people and innovation don’t go well together. At MHA, we beg to differ. We believe that the more alternatives we bring to our care home residents, the greater their fulfilment in each day can become – and this includes some lesser-known therapies.
Music therapy is one main example. People with dementia can struggle to express themselves and engage with others as they lose their powers of communication, but at MHA, we know that the person themselves is there as much as ever – they just need an alternative way of showing themselves. Music therapy provides a non-verbal means of doing this and we see every day how it promotes well-being (our lead Music Therapist, Ming Hung-Hsu, is just about to address a major music therapy conference to present the findings of some relevant research he has carried out in this field). We also have a number of trained reflexologists within our homes, giving residents a chance for some valuable and relaxing one-to-one time. Some homes also have aromatherapists, and report very positive responses to these sessions.
When the standard channels for communication and expression are closed to someone, it’s time to find an alternative. We are glad to find more and more alternatives for the older people we serve, in every way we can.
Carol Artis
Group Director - Operations