As part of Dementia Week, Cumbria Freemasons have donated several gifts to two care homes in Cumbria.
Residents of Apple Thwaite Green in Windermere and Stone Cross Care Home in Kendal, received teddies, colouring books and puzzles from the organisation.
Providing a nurturing and supportive environment can help minimise the stress and anxiety associated with the condition.
Comfort objects, such as teddies, can be a source of solace and can offer a sense of familiarity and security in a world that may feel increasingly foreign to someone with dementia.
They can nurture and care for the teddy, which stimulates those positive emotions and might remind them of a time when they had young children or a pet of their own.
The teddies are part of the Freemasons’ Teddies for Loving Care appeal, which provide unique cuddly bears to accident & emergency departments for medical staff to give at their discretion to young children.
The bears are used to calm children down, reward them for being brave or to demonstrate procedures.
Often the bears distract children so nurses and doctors can get their jobs done quickly and efficiently. The TLC teddy has become an invaluable tool for medical professionals and a real comfort for children.
Neil Dixon, of Cumbria Freemasons, said: “We knew the benefits that these bears have for dementia patients and this has proved a massive success. The teddies are funded by generous donations of Freemasons, their families and supporters and this is an amazing cause to support, especially during Dementia Week.”
