Menu
Like many leaders in senior care, Carmen Smith, Lifestyle and Memory Support Director at Garden Plaza of Florissant, has a personal passion for spreading joy to seniors. So, when representatives from Angel Embrace came to Carmen with an idea for hosting a baby doll adoption event for seniors, she jumped at the chance to make it happen. Angel Embrace, a Missouri based non-profit, brings joy and comfort to individuals through the gift of customized baby dolls. The organization offers dolls for seniors with Alzheimer’s or related dementias, children and adults with developmental disabilities, seriously ill children, and individuals in unfamiliar or stressful environments. The dolls themselves are available in different ethnicities, genders, and styles, and all dolls are lifesize and can wear actual baby clothes.
Angel Embrace’s inspiration comes from Verdie Mae, the mother of the organization’s founder. Verdie, a memory support resident, had a personal collection of baby dolls that brought her a great deal of comfort and joy. Seeing the incredible benefits the dolls had on Verdie was the inspiration for Angel Embrace.
Doll therapy has been shown to promote positive feelings, help alleviate anxiety, and improve social interaction and communication. For Carmen, seeing the residents’ reactions was an incredible experience. “To actually watch residents reminisce about having a child or their personal background – when they saw the personalization of the dolls and accepted the fact that this isn’t just a doll – this is something personal that was given to them. The immediate bonding is so powerful for some residents – and then to see the person go back the next day and bond again, sometimes in different ways, has so many positive impacts,” says Carmen.
Under Carmen’s guidance, the Garden Plaza baby doll adoption party was a huge success. She helped identify every resident’s interests and personalities so Angel Embrace could customize a doll for each person. “I had residents that were teachers, who love the St. Louis Blues or Cardinals, are very proud of their Irish heritage, and much more,” says Carmen. During the adoption ceremony, the dolls were presented to seniors by announcing their names and unique interests.
Carmen says not all residents bonded with their doll right away, but many seniors who were not immediately interested actually returned to her later asking for their doll. Residents found fun ways of engaging with their dolls long after the adoption ceremony. “Some residents brought their dolls into the communal spaces to share them with other residents. Some had them join them for watching a sporting event or a movie in their rooms. And some just loved to hold and cuddle them all day,” added Carmen. “There is even a husband and wife who now keep their dolls together.”
Carmen now has plans to expand the use of these dolls in the community. One possible avenue is a communal gathering in a lounge or the dining area where all interested residents can bring their dolls with them and share what they have been up to together. In this way, the use of dolls builds a greater sense of community engagement for residents. This type of active engagement is a key feature of memory support care at Provision Living communities.
Holly Henderson, Director of Memory Support for Provision Living – the management company for Garden Plaza – describes what she refers to as “social engagement through meaning and purpose.” “When possible, our goal is to have our residents be engaged in activities, not just passively entertained,” explains Holly. “This means residents creating, interacting, building – having some form of experience that is more than just being present. This purposeful engagement is ongoing and always changing. “Our goal is to have each day sprinkled with purposeful bursts of activity and engagement. We recognize that not everyone will be interested in the same activities – but there are ways we can engage with every resident in a valuable way.”
If you or a loved one are interested in learning more about the unique programming and activities for seniors within our communities, visit us online at ProvisionLiving.com.
