Participant story: Dabir
In this blog post Chloe explores the experiences of Dabir who took part in the activities and interviews in Culture Box. The activities and interviews provided him with a forum to reminisce and remember his life in Somalia. Thea also explains the impact of the project on the home and how the residents appreciated being included in the interview process.
The story has been anonymised and pseudonyms are used.
Reading the transcripts, I really got a sense of who Dabir was. From descriptions of him as a ‘gentleman’ and a ‘good man’ by Thea. His generosity and kindness meant that he often offered support to other members of the home and stood up for residents who were being berated by others. To his life as a mechanic and engineer on ships. His work took him around the world, and he regaled the interviewer with memories of his travels. In the first interview he told Julian that he speaks 8 languages, his answers often peppered with Greek and French. Tactile activities in Culture Box were his favourite – it reminded him of his mechanical work in ships and on cars.
His life as a ship mechanic had taken him across the globe. He told Julian that he had worked in Hong Kong, Greece, Lelia, Abu Dhabi, the Gulf. After this interview, Julian decided to include a map in a subsequent box.
This was gladly received by Dabir who used the map to explore memories of travel whilst working as a ship engineer. His working life was channelled through the activities. During the Pitzhanger activity, Dabir drew a seascape with a ship.
For Dabir, these activities provided him with a chance to reminisce and spend time exploring memories of travel. Additionally, the tree related activities in Culture Box brought back memories of home – particularly the month that contained the Baobab tree:
“He remembers a lot when we are looking before to Somalia map and after he said the Guld of Aden and Yemen and he was so excited. So he started to tell me where the borders are and where this is and what the capital is and things like that”
Dabir was originally from Somalia and during the interview he reflected on the small holding he had nurtured whilst living there. Conversation turned to animals, and he told the interviewer that he once had a small herd of cows to make fresh milk, cheese, and butter. It was clear that he missed his home, he longed to walk in the sea.
Music activities also provoked memories of Somalin songs and lyrics – he would join in singing the tunes of famous singers, remembering the lyrics with ease. His love for music even interrupted his napping time, he would pop into sessions regardless of his energy levels.
Being involved in the interview process was exciting for Dabir – it made him feel a part of something larger. Although he was tired, he was motivated and enthusiastic about the opportunity to speak to the Culture Box researchers, he really enjoyed having his voice heard and being included in a project. This was also true for other residents of the care home who were taking part in the project and in the interviews, for them this was a big moment during a time where a lot of their normal activities had been cancelled and interrupted due to the pandemic.
The project was having a huge impact on the care home. Thea described the boxes as ‘magic boxes’, which contained supportive materials and ideas for creative activities:
“It has supported me because it was, I can say something different for people with dementia. But I can these materials is not just for them, these materials can be for the others as well, it is good, because painting or music or sounds, it is a sensory feeling […] it was like magic box, the same, it was like a magic box” (T4, staff)
Furthermore, the staff were eager to have documentation from the project to support their work in providing more activities for the care home residents. A report would offer them evidence that they could use to negotiate with line managers and senior care home staff. She described this evidence as her ‘weapon’ or tool of persuasion.
Overall, this story demonstrates the impact that Culture Box had on this care home – both for the residents and the care staff.