I’m Coralie, a former speech and language therapist with a passion for sensory storytelling and a deep interest in dementia care. I spent my spare time at university volunteering on art projects for older people, and on reminiscence sessions in care homes. When I first heard about sensory storytelling, I was excited.

Sensory storytelling is a well-established way of connecting people with learning disabilities to the world around them, and to the people they share the stories with. I saw the benefits of sensory stories in action while working in a complex needs school, and was keen to see if sensory storytelling could benefit people living with dementia.

I soon found through developing sessions in care homes and a dementia gardening group that the answer was yes! Working with groups and individuals, I have created my own sensory story packs for people living with dementia. Since then I have written about my practice for the Journal of Dementia Care, and written case studies for Joanna Grace’s book Sharing Sensory Stories and Conversations with People with People Dementia: A Practical Guide.

I believe that sensory storytelling has real potential to improve the well-being, interaction and relationships of people living with dementia, and I started the ReminiSense project to encourage people living and working with people who have dementia to discover the benefits. I really hope you find the site interesting and useful, and that you are inspired to share stories with all your senses.