TimeSlips Encourages Connection and Creativity at Carlyle Place
By Donna RudolphAmong the many challenges that patients living with memory loss and dementia face is their struggle to feel included, supported, and understood by their communities. Individuals living with dementia lose self-confidence and become isolated when the negative stereotype that engagement and social interaction just aren’t possible is reinforced. The result is frustration for everyone involved.
In order to counter that harmful stigma, Carlyle Place’s social service coordinator, Ashiat Wade, recently completed certification for a program that revolutionizes elder care with a healthy dose of creativity. TimeSlips is a program that provides hope and improves well-being through imagination and meaningful connection.
“This program challenges participants to use their imaginations,” said Wade. “It allows them to relate to each other and their caregivers and be creative in a fun way.”
The creative storytelling technique that TimeSlips uses starts with showing the participant a prompt, which is usually a picture of an object or person. Then, the facilitator poses open-ended questions to encourage imagination and improvised answers. For example, Wade recently showed a picture of an airplane to one participant, who was a retired military pilot. By answering the open-ended questions, the patient shared details and anecdotes from his time in the service. It allowed for a relaxed and enjoyable level of engagement that this patient hadn’t been able to experience until participating in the TimeSlips activity.
“TimeSlips is beneficial to our residents here at Carlyle Place because it encourages communication in a creative way,” said Wade. “It removes the pressure or frustration they sometimes feel when they have to struggle with their memory.”TimeSlips began in 1998 and became an independent non-profit in 2013. Based in Milwaukee, WI, TimeSlips has certified facilitators in 44 states and 15 countries. Now that Wade as completed her two-month, online certification, Carlyle Place is one of only four communities with a TimeSlips creative facilitator in Georgia
Carlyle Place is introducing classes in both group and one-on-one settings. If you would like more information on the TimeSlips program, please contact Ashiat Wade at wade.ashiat@navicenthealth.org
TimeSlips began in 1998 and became an independent non-profit in 2013. Based in Milwaukee, WI, TimeSlips has certified facilitators in 44 states and 15 countries. Now that Wade as completed her two-month, online certification, Carlyle Place is one of only four communities with a TimeSlips creative facilitator in Georgia
Carlyle Place is introducing classes in both group and one-on-one settings. If you would like more information on the TimeSlips program, please contact Ashiat Wade at wade.ashiat@navicenthealth.org
