A picture is worth a thousand words

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Engaging in creative endeavors is vital for long term care residents. It is an important way to keep them thinking. It keeps their minds working and raises self esteem.

 

One such activity that easily encourages creativity, I call, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 

This is an easy activity to do as long as you have the right picture for participants to describe and the right frame of mind to facilitate the discussion of the picture. As with any activity you need to adapt and modify it so that it is success oriented and failure free.

 

Use a picture that is colorful with large, easy to describe items, that interests your audience.

 

Baby photographs are one type of picture that seems to have universal appeal for nursing home residents especially those with dementia.

 

You act as the facilitator in some cases. Be ready to help the participants with discussion questions. Make sure you have pencil and paper handy. You may want to give some higher functioning residents some paper and magic markers so they can jot down some “notes” for you. Of course, you will be taking down most of the information.

 

Before you show the person(s) the picture, tell them you are going to help them write a story about a picture because you know they are smart and have good ideas.

 

Now you are ready to show the picture(s) to the members of the group. As you ask the questions, make sure you show the picture to the participant(s) that you are directing the questions to. You or someone in the group can be the eyes for visually impaired participants. However, you will see that the discussion may take on a life of its own where the picture may not even be needed. Think of the picture as a story starter.

You might begin with the question, “Do you like this picture?”

 

If the majority of the audience says, “No”, use a different one. It is important to have at least two pictures available in case this happens.

 

Now that you have a picture most group members like, you want to ask a series of questions about it.

 

As you ask the questions about the picture, note any remarkable responses. That is, statements about the picture that will make the story interesting. Remember to assist members of the audience with answers to questions by providing the help they may need.

 

For example, if they are having trouble deciding what season is shown in the picture, talk about the seasons of the year, by asking them to name the seasons. If they are having trouble, give them a choice of two. If there is still some confusion, say that the baby and the lady are wearing swimsuits. Ask about the season that swimsuits are worn in etc.

 

Understand that you can ask any question that you want to, which will help facilitate the discussion.

 

You could print out a list of these or similar questions to help you in the note taking process

 

You may have to give two choices for an answer to a question if you do not get any response from an open ended question. An example to the question, “How is he feeling”, might be: “Is he happy or sad?” If you still don’t get a response, then say, “I think he is happy because he is smiling. Do you agree (say the participant’s name)?” Then you might extend the thought by asking about the baby’s face. There is a good chance a participant may say that the baby is smiling. You could ask what kind of smile he has etc... You can include these facts in the story when you write it.

 

Emphasize that there are really no right or wrong answers to any of the questions. Tell them that it is just what they think the answer is. Again stress that you know how smart and creative everyone is.

 

Thus this is a good creative outlet for long term care residents even if they have limitations.

 

You may want to have the group members suggest an opening line to the story such as: “Once upon a time”, “One sunny day”, “A few days ago” or whatever works.

After you have compiled all the answers to the questions, write a simple story about the picture using all or some of the answers given.

 

Then, later on, show the picture and read the story perhaps noting some great remarks of those that participated. Of course, be complimentary. You may want to post the story or create a short story book. Sometimes I share ideas that were expressed in this group to family members.

 

 

 

You probably will not include as many details.

 

Adorable Photographs of Our Baby, flash cards, are ideal for this activity

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As with any activity, a sure way to guarantee success is for you or the group leader to be animated and excited about doing the activity. Praising the participants for their efforts is key to a positive outcome as well.