A member of staff from Good Hope Hospital and volunteers from the Lingard House ‘knit and natter’ group in Walmley, have worked tirelessly to knit 250 twiddlemuffs for dementia patients in just under a year.

Twiddlemuffs are hand muffs decorated with ribbons, large buttons or textured fabrics that patients with dementia can twiddle in their hands whilst on the elderly wards at Heartlands, Solihull and Good Hope Hospitals. People with dementia often have restless hands and like something to keep them occupied. The twiddlemuffs provide a source of visual, tactile and sensory stimulation at the same time as keeping hands snug and warm.

An avid crocheter and group support manager for women’s and children’s services at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Angela McKenna-Hylton, set herself a target for making 100 in a year and has more than doubled her target with the help of the Lingard House ‘knit and natter’ group. Dedicated knitter, Mrs Audrey Price, knitted 100 herself alone.

Angela said: “I am delighted with the number knitted! I am so grateful to the ‘knit and natter group’ for their help in smashing our target. Twiddlemuffs are an excellent way of helping to combat the restlessness and agitation that may be experienced by patients with dementia. This project is part of a wide range of work we are doing to support our patients with dementia and we would love to have your help.”

The ‘knit and natter’ group are making more twiddlemuffs but are running short of textured buttons/beads and double knit wool – preferably fluffy and or textured wools, so if you’d like to make a donation to these avid knitters, please drop them at Linguard House,  Fox Hollies Road, Sutton Coldfield, B76 2RJ.