Loving Words Again, Sample of Selected Content

What to look for in a poem. My criteria for using a specific poem follows some basic rules. It should be simple, meaningful, have a relatable subject matter and most important it should have some favorable meaning for the reader. This does not mean you must be a scholar of poetry but only have a desire or interest in reading a certain poem. 

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SECTION ONE- (Just a sample of some content)

• THE STORY BEHIND A LOVE FOR POETRY FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA
• WHY RECITING POETRY WORKS FOR PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA
• Exercise #1 Poem example, Upon Julia's Clothes, By Robert Herrick
• Exercise #2 Sampler example, The House by the Side of the Road, By Sam Walter Foss
• A quote from a vintage sampler, author unknown
• TIPS ON CLASSIFYING THE POEMS YOU SELECT AND THEN PRESENTING
• Consider the different cultural values of your participants
• UNDERSTANDING P.a.s.s.i.o.n. IN THE DELIVERY OF RECITING POEMS
• GETTING PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WRITING PROCESS- Following “The Order of the Process”
• USING THE TEMPLATE FORMS
• WRITING POETRY WITH INDIVIDUALS ONE-ON-ONE
• COLLECTING INFORMATION ON FORMS AND FORMULATING A POEM

TIPS ON CLASSIFYING THE POEMS YOU SELECT AND THEN PRESENTING

Remember that the poems you select should be appealing and stimulate interest. It’s a good practice to classify your poems according to the subject matter and identify the props you want to use to create the desired mood.

 Select poems that are short and not complex. They should have basic subject matters that provoke positive emotions. The participant’s experience should be enhanced by the supporting props: visual, audio, and tactile.  

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CREATING A POETRY WRITING PROGRAM

A person with dementia who can still verbally communicate, despite the difficulty, can create a poem. You must get them to express their thoughts, awaken their own emotions and put their own words onto paper in a poetic format.

 Important questions to considered 

• Who is a good candidate to write a poem?
• If it’s a group poem, how do I choose who should and should not participate?
• What’s the best environment or setting to perform this activity?

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This is taken from the poem writing process involving an actual client who attended an Adult Day Care Center. 

I approached Bob about writing a poem about places he had been. His reaction was typical, “I don’t know.” I told him that his story would become the poem, so he didn’t have to worry about anything other than sharing his memories.