Chocolate Rain: 100 Ideas for a Creative Approach to Activities in Dementia Care

Chocolate Rain is an activity guide plus an innovative creative manual for caregivers, relatives and activities organisers. It uncovers the real purpose of activities; how to stay involved while doing simple activities; how to grade activities to levels of cognitive abilities and more.

The reader is guided step by step in developing their own creative skills, which leads to increased ability to generate activity ideas as well as to discover the potentials in each individual. The chapters on how to bring more of yourself to each encounter, particularly those with people in advanced stages of dementia, open unexpected avenues of communication.

The author encourages a fresh approach to all aspects of everyday life including care giving moments as rich sources for activities. After reading this book, no one should ever again have to wonder how to spend productive, meaningful time with someone with dementia. Foreword by John Killick

From the Author:

I’ll say it up front, I am Sarah, the author of Chocolate Rain, so don’t expect an entirely unbiased review. That said, to be honest, I haven’t yet seen any books quite like this one in the field.

I wrote it, drawing on my own long experience as a healthcare artist working with people with dementia, to support and stimulate people who have anything to do with dementia care, including caregivers, families, and friends. While supplying the reader with more than 100 practical ideas for activities, the core of the book is a deep belief in the (often not yet developed) creative capacities of caregivers. And in creativity as a way to reach into the world of someone with dementia and break the isolation they can feel. I worked for 15 years as an artist in healthcare and 5 years weekly with people in all stages of dementia. One to one. Intensely. 

And ‘Chocolate Rain’ is the result of those encounters.  Recently one reviewer said, ‘If you buy one book this year, make it ‘Chocolate Rain’. I hope this is a sign that the simplicity of the approach, the care put into the writing and illustration, and the practical experience have made a friendly and timeless guide. I hope it brings some hope, lightness and inspiration into an area that admittedly can be grim. This book has been highly recommended as a textbook for nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, and volunteer trainings.  Sarah Zoutewelle