Older Adult Mental Health patients benefit from charitable donations

Pictured above: Lara Schmidt, Occupational Therapist and Lisa Thomas, Occupational Therapy Technician.

Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, has supported the Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams (OACMHTs) and Older Adult Mental Health Inpatient Wards by funding board games and paint packs.

Generous donations to the NHS charity have funded seven ‘All About Us’ board games, a game developed for people living with dementia to focus on the power of life story telling and mindfulness, and seven ‘Aqua Paint Packs’ which have also been specifically designed for people living with dementia to express themselves creatively and find calm.

Lara Schmidt, Occupational Therapist (OT), said: “We’re incredibly pleased that charitable donations have allowed us to purchase these items for the OACMHTs and Older Adult Mental Health Inpatient Wards across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

“The ‘All About Us’ board game offers the opportunity to utilise as a one-to-one assessment tool as well as in group settings.

“From an OT perspective, the board game invites our service users to think and talk about who they are, their experiences, feelings and values as well as their life roles. This will support strengthening of identity, independence and sense of purpose whilst enabling OTs to build a therapeutic relationship and better understand personal histories of our service users.

“The illustrations on the Aqua Paint Packs are specifically designed for the older adult population and offer opportunities for reminiscence and conversation. For our service users, aqua painting is a low-risk activity that still offers an enriching experience as aqua painting can exercise imagination, and enable people to experience joy and a sense of accomplishment.”

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”