Dementia-friendly museum: The museum suitcase of the Museum of Theatre Puppets Lübeck.
“I pack my suitcase and put inside…” is a memory game for at least two people. The first player begins with the sentence “I’m packing my suitcase…” and names an object that he or she mentally puts into the suitcase. The next player repeats the whole sentence, naming the first item and adding another item. The next player has to list the previously named objects in the correct order(!) and add another object. The game goes on like this until someone forgets an item or the order of items is no longer correct.
It’s a wonderful game that we used to play when we were children and later with our own children to pass time. First full of anticipation until the holiday could finally start and then in a traffic jam or during a long train journey.
It was unbelievable what was packed into the suitcase. From toothbrushes to elephants, everything fitted in. The crazier, the better! And now we plan to pack the Museum into the suitcase!
However, the Museum’s suitcase is not intended as a game or memory training, but to awaken memories. Beautiful memories of people who find it increasingly difficult to remember.
Demenzia-friendly museum: Our museum suitcase
The Museum’s suitcase was launched by the Dementia Competence Centre in Schleswig-Holstein, sponsored by Barmer – a German Health Insurance Company, and we are happy to be part of it with our puppets!
Around 1.6 million people in Germany suffer from dementia.
People with dementia suffer from memory loss, loss of sense of direction. Their cognitive abilities, attention and ability to think are disturbed. Their personality as well as their social behaviour changes and often these people suffer from anxiety, shame and depression.
Anyone who has ever forgotten something important knows what unpleasant feelings this can trigger in them. These people suffer this every day because of their illness!
We pack objects such as hand puppets, shadow puppets and marionettes into the museum suitcase and visit people with dementia in care facilities. We take things with us that everyone can recognize from the past, that may be held in the hand, that awaken beautiful emotions and that enable active and positive memory work. In addition, there is singing and stories are told about the objects brought along.
Unfortunately, due to the Corona Pandemic we must put this on hold. But one day we will be able to say: “I’ll pack the museum suitcase and put inside…”.
If you would like us to visit you with our Museum’s suitcase, you are welcome to contact us at: info@theaterfigurenmuseum.de.
Affected people and relatives will find interesting information on the following pages:
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