Fall provides many natural resources that benefit the day-to-day enjoyment of life for elderly dementia patients. Many elderly have restricted access to outdoor excursions but caregivers can bring the outdoors inside to them.
The smells, sights, sound and feel of fall leaves over a lifetime life have been imprinted deeply in the memory of humans. Some patients may be able to recall experiences with autumn leaves: being showered by the confetti of falling leaves, raking leaves, jumping into heaps of leaves, walking through crunchy leaves, building a bonfire, composting leaves, and making a pressed leaf collection at school.
Leaf Prints
Nature prints leaf stains on sidewalks, patio furniture, and car hoods. Leaf fossil prints are a treasure to archeologists giving access to prehistoric times before man recorded memorable events in language.
The colorful leaves of fall seem made for replicating through printing. As a nonverbal form of communication, prints are especially suited to dementia patients.
Leaf printing serves several purposes for dementia patients. It retrieves sensory and motor memories, preserves autumn memories in time and space, involves focus and concentration, and encourages exercise of upper body muscles.
Materials for Leaf Printing
- Fresh collection of brightly colored deciduous simple leaves like maple, gingko, elm
- Air-drying clay like Das or Crayola
- Firm flat worktables
- Wooden rolling pins
- Clay cutting tools
- Metallic acrylic paints
- Paintbrushes
- Wax paper
- Paper plates
Procedure for Leaf Printing
- Participants manipulate and model a golf ball size chunk of clay to soften it into a ball.
- Place clay ball atop worktable and use a rolling pin to flatten to ¼ inch thick.
- Place underside of single leaf atop the clay and press over lightly with rolling pin to get margin and vein pattern of leaf printed on clay.
- Carefully remove leaf by petiole.
- Using clay-cutting tools cut out around margins of leaves. Caregiver assistance will be necessary.
- Use tool to make a hole in top of leaf for future hanging and print participants’ initials on back of leaf.
- Place clay leaves on wax paper to dry overnight.
- Dry clay leaves are painted various colors using nontoxic metallic acrylic paints.
Using the Leaf Prints
Participants will be proud of their handiwork. One immediate use for each participant’s leaf would be to wear it around one’s neck as a pendant. Dementia patients enjoy dressing up in jewelry.
Another use for the leaf jewels would be to hang them on a holiday tree for all to see daily. Nursing home residents might like to hang their leaves on their room doors. Alternately, activity directors could cluster leaves into mobiles to hang from the ceiling.
If an abundance of leaves are made, participants could give them as holiday gifts to family members. If participants are in a nursing home with a gift shop, leaf ornaments could be a revenue source for the activity program.
Memory crafts with natural materials that speak to the senses like leaves can greatly enhance the daily life of dementia patients and their caregivers.
Sources
Akerman, Diane. A Natural History of The Senses. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
Interview with artist Sheila Cummings of "Sheila's Concrete Garden," website on October 22, 2011.
Rabins, Peter V. "Activities to Engage the Dementia Patient." Johns Hopkins Health Alerts website
February 2, 2009.
Arlene Marturano - Arlene Marturano, an educator, consultant, master gardener, and writer advocates gardens as a context and gardening as a tool for ...
