When teams collaborate, good things happen!

Over the past few months, members of the BC Brain Wellness Program “Crafters for a Cause” group created comfort mitts for people living with dementia who are in hospital.

Nine crafters from all over B.C.’s Lower Mainland, the Interior and even as far as Toronto, knitted, sewed and crocheted more than 40 comfort mitts and fidget blankets. Comfort mitts and fidget blankets provide tactile stimulation by acting as something to fidget with and a focus of conversation. They keep hands busy and minds active and have been known to decrease anxiety. The items were gratefully received by Vancouver General Hospital recreation therapist Katie Heckman and donated to the wards connected to VGH Hospitalist Medicine Team, where many people with dementia receive medical care.

Crafters for a Cause members are now working on creating comfort items (such as handmade blankets, stuffed animals, inspirational cards and masks) to be part of welcome kits for families staying at Ronald McDonald House.  

“As I was collecting the creations, the impact of the project became apparent as some of the contributors described ‘feeling good by doing good,’” says Elaine Book, co-ordinator of the group. “This is really an example of an institutional collaboration with far reaching benefits.”

If you are interested in joining Crafters for a Cause, drop by the next Zoom get together on Monday May 17 at 3pm (register with the  BC Brain Wellness Program at www.bcbrainwellness.ca) or contact elaine.book@vch.ca

If you have yarn or fabric you would like to donate to the cause, contact elaine.book@vch.ca