Rebecca Manzi The “Hoppiness” project allows people with dementia and Parkinson's admitted to retirement homes to find their smile again by growing hops and producing beer
@Alive Activities
The “Hoppiness” project is one of the unique initiatives aimed at bettering the lives of dementia and Parkinson’s disease patients by growing hops and brewing beer. The charity Alive Activities, in cooperation with the University of Bristol, has launched the project, which engages residents from several care homes in Bristol in activities that are good for them in more ways than passing time. The aim is to inspire the elderly, in order to help them regain parts of their identity and challenge common perceptions of what it means to reside in a care home.
According to Guy Manchester, one of the organizers of the project, most people who have been institutionalized have gathered a deep history of significant experiences that are too often overlooked. This can also include activities related to gardening or going to the pub which have played an important role in their lives and are now introduced again in some modified manner, such as the brewing of beer.
And it is working. As Manchester explained, once they began to grow the hops and brewing beer, participants seemed to blossom, recapturing a little bit of their vigor and enthusiasm.
Preserving sense of self and identity
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this entire project is its effect on the mood of the residents. Even though many don’t recall having taken part in the activity the next day, they feel good and are content.
Karen Gray is a researcher from the University of Bristol who took part in this project. According to her, keeping the mind and body active is an important factor when considering elderly people: activities like brewing beer help sustain their sense of identity and self, which generally becomes threatened by dementia.
This program caters not only to the cognitive and emotional needs of the patients but also to their socialization aspects. Patients start engaging in shared activities that involve recalling past experiences in relation to gardening or having a beer during social drinks. The idea of socialization contributes to making care homes more dynamic and socially embracing.
Expansion of the program
The longer-term ambition of the project is to extend this work into other facilities and groups via a downloadable toolkit. In that way, Alive Activities hopes to continue challenging common perceptions about life in care homes and to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia around the world.
Source: Alive Activities
