Sr. Mary Threadgold RIP

Sr. Mary Threadgold, whose pioneering work transformed the lives of thousands of people living with dementia in Ireland and beyond through the creation of the Sonas Programme, has died aged 87.

A member of the Religious Sisters of Charity, Sr. Mary devoted her life to improving the quality of life of older people, particularly those living with dementia. At a time when dementia care was often centred solely on physical needs, she recognised that people continued to have emotional, social and spiritual needs that deserved equal attention.

Mary was born in Dublin and was raised in Dalkey before joining the Religious Sisters of Charity in the 1950s. She qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in London, later doing an MSc in Human Communication at the University of London. She worked with a wide variety of people with communication disorders until she moved to Ballybane, Galway in the 1980s where she specialised in intellectual disabilities. In the absence of meaningful language, she noticed the positive effect of music and touch as a facilitator of communication.

She had often been struck by the sight of older people in nursing homes, gathered together in day rooms without interacting or being communicated with and many of whom were living with dementia. Influenced by her training and her personal conviction that love and respect needed to underpin any professional approach to meeting the communication needs of such a group of older people, she turned her attention to them.

Drawing on research into communication, sensory stimulation and meaningful engagement, Sr. Mary developed the Sonas Programme in the early 1990s. The word “Sonas”, the Irish word for happiness and wellbeing, perfectly reflected her philosophy that every person, regardless of the stage of dementia, has the capacity to experience joy, connection and purpose.

The Sonas Programme uses music, movement, touch, reminiscence, sensory experiences and communication techniques to stimulate all of the senses and encourage participation. It was among the first structured, evidence-based programmes specifically designed for people living with mid to late-stage dementia and quickly became recognised for its ability to improve communication, mood, engagement and overall wellbeing.

Sonas aPc (aPc meaning activating Potential for communication) was established as a not- for- profit organisation in 1996. The charity changed its name to Engaging Dementia in 2018.

What began as an innovative approach in Ireland has since influenced dementia care internationally with the Sonas Programme now being used by nursing and care home staff in Ireland, the U.K., Norway, and Finland, as well as some practitioners in Australia and Japan. The programme has been adopted in residential care settings, day centres and community services, and has been the subject of academic research demonstrating its positive impact on people living with dementia.

Sr. Mary’s greatest legacy, however, lies not only in the programme itself but in the philosophy behind it. She consistently challenged the misconception that people with advanced dementia could no longer communicate or benefit from meaningful interaction. Instead, she believed that with patience, understanding and the right approach, every person retained their individuality and deserved to be treated with dignity, respect and compassion.

In 2005, Sr. Mary’s interest in dementia took on a new meaning when her brother Fr. Jerry Threadgold, her only sibling, developed Lewy Body disease. For seven years she visited him three times a week in his nursing home.  Those visits also became the seed for the published booklet she wrote “Lift Up Their Hearts – Visiting Older People”.  This is a practical booklet for the benefit of those committed to visiting older people on a regular basis, either in nursing homes or their own homes, whether they are family, friends or volunteers.  Sr. Mary also assisted Engaging Dementia in developing the resource Time Together, which supports people planning a visit with someone living with dementia. Through all of her work she inspired generations of healthcare professionals, therapists, nurses, healthcare assistants and family carers to see the person beyond the dementia diagnosis. Her emphasis on relationship-centred care helped shape modern dementia practice in Ireland and beyond and has influenced thousands of care staff through training and education ensuring that Sr. Mary’s vision continues to enrich the lives of people living with dementia every day.

Those who knew Sr. Mary remember her as a woman of deep compassion, humility and quiet determination.

Her legacy lives on in every Sonas session delivered, every care professional she inspired and every person living with dementia whose quality of life has been enhanced through her work. Her vision has touched countless lives and will continue to influence dementia care for generations to come.