Recipes for Reminiscence

Born in Louth, Lincolnshire Danny Walsh trained as a mental health nurse between 1982 and 1985. After working in acute mental health for several years he soon developed a passion for working with older adults with mental health problems and their carers. This interest grew alongside an increasing awareness of the needs of this group and the lack of resources the group attracted when compared to services for younger adults. Danny developed a particular interest in the use of activity and group-work and was soon running groups and activity sessions on a regular basis. He was then lucky enough to run a day hospital for several years during which many of these groupwork skills and activities were tried and tested. Moving into nurse education in 1997 was a big departure but one which enabled him to have an influence over older adults nursing practice via curriculum development and specialising in older adults mental health to a deeper level. He works closely with many dementia care nursing homes and NHS facilities in supporting practice and students on placement. Working with both functionally ill and cognitively impaired older people has been and continues to be a real privilege for Danny.

• This book, written by the author of The Activity and Reminiscence Yearbook, is all about exploring our very close relationship with food and its preparation. Because food plays such an important and pleasurable part in our lives it triggers many memories. Linking the activities and reminiscence ideas here with recipes will further enhance the recollection and allow us to re-experience the tastes of the past. Each chapter includes 'old' recipes for foods and drinks throughout the year and across the decades, and around these have been woven activities, quizzes and reminiscence material including changes over the years with respect to the food itself, kitchens, cooking, utensils, cookers, food styles, food fads in different decades, TV cooks, school meals, 'making do', snacks and so on. There are multiple recipes for each week of the year paired to a reminiscence theme and an activity, presented in a weekly format that activity organisers prefer. Many of the ideas and activities can be undertaken either on a one-to-one basis or as part of a group activity schedule. Group experiences tend to enhance the pleasure and allow for more discussion and sharing of memories, as well as acting as a social get-together. You can use it as a weekly schedule or just dip in and out of it at will. The book includes: weekly recipes; reminiscence principles; and activities and information for weeks 1 to 52. It is a must-have book which shows how food can be used successfully as a vehicle for social inclusion and normalisation in institutional settings.