Edinburgh's Reminiscence Project • Established 1986

Reminiscence Skills Training

In our morning training (10am-1pm) in reminiscence skills we suggest creative activities, how to use resources, and look at ways to work with people who have dementia. We employ a variety of triggers to stimulate memories including handling boxes, photographs, music, smells, poetry, life story books and even YouTube can be a useful tool for some.  
Using reminiscence techniques to unlock memories is something the LMA has been advocating for over thirty years. We have witnessed the benefits of using reminiscence to engage with older people.

Our training offers participants the opportunity to share their ideas and experiences of working with older people and those with dementia. Everyone is unique and they respond in their own ways. It's trying to find a way in. And keep trying.
People with dementia often don’t remember who visited them last week and may then find it difficult to hold a conversation, but there’s a treasure chest of conversations that people could have from their past given the right prompts. Reminiscence is a way to stimulate those conversations.

Think of a smell, a taste, or sound from childhood that’s evocative to you. It could be the smell of shoe polish; or it could be eating a plate of homemade lentil soup in your Granny’s kitchen; or maybe touching your mum’s hair before drifting off to sleep. Memories like these can pull you back to that time; when you heard a particular song or the chimes of an ice cream van or the rag and bone man’s bugle.
Reminiscing happens all the time, we reminiscence with friends and acquaintances; Do you remember so-and-so? or What was that shop at the corner of Princes Street called? All we are doing is formalising this process.

Our Reminiscence Training will equip you deliver reminiscence sessions for groups and individuals.

You will acquire:

  • Group working skills
  • Gain ideas from the training group
  • Be able to use artefacts, photos and memorabilia effectively
  • Gain confidence in the delivery of a reminiscence session
  • Awareness of the effects of dementia

Practical information

When

Contact us to know the next training day and to book your place.
The training takes place from 10am to 1pm.

We can also offer training remotely on Zoom.

Cost

The cost is £60.
A set of notes on the training will be made available at the end of the training.

Where

The Wee Museum of Memory (Edinburgh)