0 Quirky dolls giving support to people with dementia
The Comfort Dolls are a creation by volunteers at Age UK Wolverhampton to help people going through the early stages of dementia and other de-generative diseases.
The dolls all have unique names and have been given different personalities by Age UK Wolverhampton and came about during the first lockdown when volunteer Inderjit Phul began creating them, making 70 in the first lockdown and 60 in the second.
More than 200 dolls have been created so far and have been distributed by staff and volunteers working with New Cross Hospital and in other dementia care settings.
Project manager Paulina Golota said the idea of the dolls was to provide something people with the early onset of dementia with something they could hold in their hands.
She said: "When people begin to get dementia, they can start to go back towards childhood and we've found that they need to hold something or hug something.
"The Comfort Dolls are very soft and they help people to do things with their hands as they can carry them, touch them and hug them."
Ms Golota said there wasn't a set amount for how many dolls would be created and said the aim was to keep creating them for as long as they were needed and get more people involved.
She said: "When I joined Age UK a few months ago, the project was already going well and we have a meeting each week to get as many volunteers as possible to help us make them.
"At present, it is only us who make these dolls and we have been working with New Cross Hospital mainly, but want more groups to get in touch who could make good use of them.
"Everyone thinks they are very interesting, colourful and unique and they are a great, quirky product that we can make to specifications if requested. They really are very special."
To find out more about the Comfort Dolls, go to ageuk.org.uk/wolverhampton/get-involved/comfort-dolls/ or follow the Comfort Dolls on Instagram at instagram.com/the.comfort.doll.family/