Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Watermelon art project


Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, here is an easy fun art project for those in long term care with or without dementia



The above watermelon picture was from a shopping list tablet

Here is the a poem made up by a group of residents
Watermelon
We like our watermelon
cold juicy and sweet
We cannot wait to bite in
with our teeth
Yum yum, let's eat



Use this clip art as a base for the picture. Make copies of it,at least two for each participant.



Cut out the picture minus the rind. Place it on top of a red piece of paper. Cut a red piece the size of the white graphic



Pste it on another watermelon clip art paper. Have the participants draw seeds on it with black magic marker. Alternatly use black stickers for seeds.




You may want to cut offthe black outline of the rind and draw a green line for the skin representation in the picture. Paste a poem about watermelons on the paper if you desire. Making up some watermelon poems can be part of this project or done on another day
Alternately this project can be done in assembly line fashion. Each person has a job matching his/her skill level/
Or you can have a volunteer do most of the project and have the residents draw the seeds or save whatever job you think they can handle.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Smile ideas for those with dementia


Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, here are some smile ideas from the book Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals, a book for those with dementia and an excellent resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals

Have a smile off.

See who can smile the longest.

Sing songs about smiles.

Read or make up a poem about smiles.
Talk about other emotions and facial expressions. Remember, those with memory impairments can relate well to emotions.

Draw faces with smiles or other facial expressions.

Smile songs
Till We Meet Again
Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu
When the clouds roll by I'll come to you.
Then the skies will seem more blue,
Down in Lover's Lane, my dearie.

Wedding bells will ring so merrily
Ev'ry tear will be a memory.
So wait and pray each night for me
Till we meet again.

Tho' goodbye means the birth of a tear drop,
Hello means the birth of a smile.
And the smile will erase the tear blighting trace,
When we meet in the after awhile.

Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu
When the clouds roll by I'll come to you
Then the skies will seem more blue
Down in Lover's Lane, my dearie,

Wedding bells will ring so merrily
Ev'ry tear will be a memory
So wait and pray each night for me
Till we meet again.

When You Are Smiling
When youre smilin, when youre smilin
The whole world smiles with you
When youre laughin, when youre laughin
The sun comes shinin through

But when youre cryin, you bring on the rain
So stop that cryin, be happy again
Keep on smilin, cause when youre smilin
The whole world smiles with you

When youre smilin, when youre smilin
The whole world, it smiles with you
When youre laughin, oh babe, when youre laughin
The sun would-a come shining through

But when youre cryin, you bring on the rain
So stop that sighin, come on and be happy again
Keep on smilin, cause when youre smilin, baby
The whole world smiles with you

Smiles
There are smiles, that make us happy
There are smiles, that make us blue
There are smiles, that steal away the teardrops
Like the Sunbeams steal away the dew

There are smiles, that have a tender meaning
That the eyes of love alone can see
But the smiles, that fill my life with sunshine
Are the smiles that you gave to...

But the smiles, that fill my life with sunshine
Are the smiles that you gave to me!

Friday, June 26, 2015

Pet therapy for those with dementia

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Get your subscription to Activity Director Today's e magazine

Pet therapy days are different. When Mitzi, a lovely golden retriever, and her owner come into Martha's room, a smile crosses Martha's face. She reaches out to pet the dog. It is the only activity she ever initiates. Sometimes, she even mumbles a word or two.

A small miracle, to be sure, but a miracle nonetheless to Martha's family, who thought they would never see her smile or hear her speak again.

In nursing facilities, day care centers, hospitals, and private homes throughout the country, pets are being used for therapy with senior citizens. Owning a pet has been correlated with lower blood pressure, lower blood triglyceride levels, increased activity and socialization, and even increased length of survival following a heart attack.

Pet therapy seems to be especially effective with senior citizens suffering from cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer's. Many people with dementia experience periods of agitation, especially in the evening hours. This is referred to as "sundowning." Sundowning is not only stressful for the person with dementia, it can be very difficult for caregivers as well. Studies have shown that regular contact with a pet can help decrease anxiety and increase feelings of calm and well-being, even during the difficult evening hours. Some Alzheimer's patients have been able to stop taking anti-anxiety medication after regular contact with pets was initiated.

Pets can also enhance the patient's connection to his or her world. Even people with very advanced dementia, like Martha, will sometimes respond to the comforting presence of an animal even if they respond to little else.

People with dementia are at risk for loneliness and isolation. As they become forgetful and disoriented, they may be reluctant to talk to new people or even to friends and family. A pet visit can help break the ice and provide a happy topic for conversation. Some people with dementia will communicate more readily with animals than with humans. A pet, after all, is a nonjudgmental listener who won't notice that they've used the wrong word or scold them for telling the same story four or five times.

Finally, pet visits allow people with dementia a chance to play and express themselves creatively. Pets can even become a valuable part of a therapy program. A man who might not want to practice walking with a physical therapist because it feels too much like work, for instance, might be overjoyed at the chance to take a dog for a walk because that seems more like play.

When most people think of therapy pets, they automatically think of dogs. Other animals used in therapy programs include horses, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and fish.

Not every animal is appropriate for pet therapy work. The ideal therapy pet is calm and gentle with no aggressive tendencies. This is especially important for therapy pets who work with people with dementia. Like a small child, a person with advanced dementia may not know how to respond appropriately to a pet and may accidentally startle it or pull at its fur. The animal's tendency should be to withdraw rather than to attack.

Very anxious or loud animals also do not make good therapy companions, as they may increase the anxiety of dementia patients rather than reduce it.

Finally, although pet therapy is effective with many people with dementia, it is important to remember that.....read more next time

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Canada Trivia


Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,


Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]


Activities directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers, Canada day will be here before you know it.


Below is some trivia that will help you celebrate the day. It is celebrated on July 1


Canada Trivia


What is Canada’s national anthem?
O Canada


What is Canada’s royal anthem?
God Save the Queen


What is the national emblem of Canada?
The maple leaf.


What are Canada's national sports?
Ice hockey and lacrosse


There are two official languages of Canada. What are they?
English and French.
What is the origin of the name "Canada"?
Canada is a name derived from the Huron-Iroquois kanata meaning, a village or settlement




Who was the first Prime Minister of Canada?
Sir John A. Macdonald




What animal is on the Canadian quarter?
the CARIBOU




How many oceans touch Canada?
THREE - the Atlantic on the east, the Pacific on the west and the Arctic to the north




How many countries border Canada?
ONE - the United States of America




How many provinces in Canada?
TEN - from west to east they are: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland




What is the capital city of Canada (the national capital)?
Ottawa




True or False? Canada is the world's second largest country, by land mass?
TRUE




What is the Canadian $1 coin called?
the Loonie (the loon is a Canadian bird and is pictured on the coin, thus the name)




When was the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms included in the Constitution Act?
1982 (no, that isn't a typo) Unlike the majority of democratic countries whose basic law derives from one document, Canada's basic law derives not only from a set of documents known as Constitution Acts, but also a set of unwritten laws and convention
True or False? Superman was created by a Canadian?
TRUE


Who were the first people to live in Canada?
(a) Europeans, (b) Americans, (c) Aboriginals, or (d) Norsemen
(c) the aboriginals or first nations peoples were the first inhabitants of Canada


What is the name of the elected lower house of Canadian parliament?
the house of commons


What is the leader of Canada called?
the Prime Minister


What leaf is on the Canadian flag?
the maple leaf - it is the national emblem of Canada


What is the Canadian national anthem called?
O'Canada -- oddly enough, although it has been sung since the late 1800's, it wasn't proclaimed Canada's National Anthem until 1980.


What is the "big prize" for the Canadian Football League ("CFL") called? The ________ cup
the GREY cup


What is the "big prize" for the National Hockey League ("NHL") called? The _______ cup
the STANLEY cup


What rodent is described by the Canadian Encyclopedia as having "had a greater impact on the
history and exploration of Canada than any other animal or plant species"?
the BEAVER


What measurement is used in Canada to measure temperature?
Celsius
Who was the first French-Canadian Prime Minister of Canada?
Sir Wilfred Laurier




What was the name of the system of safe passages and safehouses that allowed American slaves to escape to freedom in Canada?
The Underground Railroad


How many time zones in Canada?
SIX


How many national parks are there in Canada?
(a) under 10 (b) between 10 and 50 (c) between 50 and 100 (d) over 100
(B) between 10 and 50


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

5 senses and sensory activities

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition


June 24 is Celebrate your senses day. Because of this
Susan Berg, dementia healthcare professional, activity director and author, asked me to talk about the 5 senses and how they relate to activities for those with Alzheimer's disease and dementia
Here goes

Auditory
Hearing is probably the easiest one to stimulate.... a simple bedside radio will do. It's even better if you have access to a cassette or CD player, but that's not always feasible. Tune the radio in to music or a station that you know the resident likes; alternate if you're not sure. If you do have access to a cassette or CD player, why not try some unusual sounds, a different type of music, or books on tape? I personally own a CD of Indian drums music, and was surprised to find that several of my residents enjoyed it- in fact, we now play it in the dining room every few months! Another CD I enjoy playing is one of wedding music- this gets the discussions going with those who can reminisce, and even those who can't verbalize thier thoughts seem to enjoy the music. Of course, other items create sounds, too- bells, windchimes, birds, sound machines, and tabletop water fountains. Any pleasant sound can bring back a memory or make an enjoyable activity, either as independent activities, during 1-1 visits, or even in small groups.

Visual
Creating something interesting to look at is not only good for your residents, but can be fun as well. Changing decorations in the hallways and bulletin boards helps with reality orientation, serves as PR for the activity department, and adds some color to the facility. The same goes for decorating the rooms of residents who spend much of their time in bed. Mobiles, posters, and calendars are very much needed in these rooms. For lower functioning residents, photo albums work well as a sensory stimulation tool. The albums can feature personal photos, colorful pictures, greeting cards, or anything else that might be appropriate. Catalogs, magazines, even some picture books can also be used. In my facility, the activity assistant uses the art work that the younger MR residents create during 1-1 visits-- each resident receives a new, colorful picture during their visit. This gives the residents something new to hang on their walls, serves as a reminder of the recent visit, and, at the same time, gives us a use for the dozens of pictures created by our younger residents. I also discovered another visual activity quite by accident. On my office computer, I have an Anne Geddes screen saver. (Anne Geddes photographs babies and young children in colorful scenes.) The changing pictures of babies intrigued some of my residents- one came to my office every day for weeks just to see the "babies"!

Smell
What scents do you find pleasant? What scents do you find hard to stand? Start there, and you will find many scented items with which to stimulate your residents. Allow a resident to smell the scent in a container if that is possible, that way you can remove it quickly if the resident finds it disagreeable. You can also dab the scent on a tissue or cotton ball, or you can apply a drop or two of the scent to the resident's hand or wrist. We've all used colognes, body sprays, and scented lotions during our 1-1 visits. Try some of these ideas for something different:
* car air fresheners
* coffee or tea- serve it, or just enjoy the scent of it
* pine branches
* a bag of fresh cut grass (beware of allergies!)
* baby powder, lotion, shampoo
* fresh baked bread (plug in a breadmaker for this one)

Taste
Diet orders, feeding rules, allergies... all of these can make providing stimulating tastes something we'd rather leave up to the kitchen staff. However, there are some simple tasting activities that can be fun and easy:
* Schedule a "Taste Test" once a month. We've tasted all sorts of things- clear flavored sodas, kiwi fruit, coffees, craisins, Oreo cereal, etc. We try to find something the residents haven't had before, then give each participant just a bite or two- enough to taste it, but not enough to count as a real snack.
* Use a breadmaker. This creates a wonderful smell, and the anticipation of the homemade treat is half the fun!
* Provide Juice Carts weekly, monthly, daily... whenever you can. This helps out with hydration issues, as well as making it easy to involve residents who don't attend group activities. We stock up on sugar-free drink mixes, and occasionally serve soda, as well.

Tactile
The sense of touch is another one that is easy to stimulate. The caring touch or hug provided to a receptive resident can be greatly appreciated. Many objects lend themselves to tactile stimulation. The idea here is to provide the resident with safe objects that have textures that are different from the blankets and chairs they touch in everyday life.
Try these:
* a gentle hand massage
* a supervised visit with a soft, furry animal
* soaking hands in warm, scented water
* reaching into a shallow pan of rice or sand to find "treasures"
You can also use a variety of objects during 1-1 visits: *
sandpaper of various types, wood blocks, stuffed animals, pine cones, flowers, and small plants, model cars or airplanes, Koosh balls, kitchen utensils- potato masher, whisk, etc.
Talk about these objects, ask the resident how they feel, or have the resident try to identify the object without looking at it.

What do you think?

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Friendship day , proverbs and poems

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be


You will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two


Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]




Activities directors, caregivers and other healthcare professionals, here is some great information on friendship to help you celebrate International Friendship Day

Friendship thoughts
"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.
Before him I may think aloud."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)~

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost."
- Charles Caleb Colton

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, - Anais Nin

"My friends are my estate."

"A friend is one who walks in when others walk out"
-Walter Winchell

"A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else."
- Len Wein - Sent by Paulo Louro

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."
- Sent by Donna Roberts

"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."
- Sent by Lysha

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend."
- Albert Camus (also attributed to Maimonidies). Sent by clovers

"A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more."
- Sent by Jasmine Fitzwilliam

"Everyone is a friend, until they prove otherwise."
- sent by Steve

"It takes a long time to grow an old friend."
- by John Leonard (thanks to Steve's Famous Quotes)


Friendship Proverbs

"Books and friends should be few but good."

"A friend in need is a friend indeed."
- Latin Proverb

"A good friend is my nearest relation."

"Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes."
"Love is blind. Friendship tries not to notice."
-Sent in by Angela Kendrick

"To have a friend, be a friend."
(sent by Julio Fung)

"Life without a friend is like death without a witness."
- Spanish Proverb

"The best mirror is an old friend."

"A cheerful friend is like a sunny day spreading brightness all around."
- John Lubcock ( English Astronomer )

"THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF SHIPS. THERE ARE WOODEN SHIPS ,PLASTIC SHIPS, AND METAL SHIPS. BUT THE BEST AND MOST IMPORTAINT TYPES OF SHIPS ARE FRIENDSHIPS."
- OLD IRISH QUOTE (SENT BY -ROBERT J. BADAR JR.)

"The only unsinkable ship is FRIENDSHIP."
-Sent in by Jeff Sczpanski


Friendship poems

The best of friends,
Can change a frown,
Into a smile,
when you feel down.
The best of friends,
Will understand,
Your little trials,
And lend a hand.
The best of friends,
Will always share,
Your secret dreams,
Because they care.
The best of friends,
Worth more than gold,
Give all the love,
A heart can hold

You're never alone, I'm always near,
When your troubled, down or blue.
All you have to do is call me,
I'm always here for you.
It doesn't matter where I'm at,
It doesn't matter when.
When you need someone to talk to,
I'm here to be your friend.
If you need someone to hold your hand,
or a hug to say I care.
If you need a shoulder to cry on,
for you I will be there.
So never think you are a burden,
when the weight gets to be to much.
You might find if look hard enough,
a good friend could be the right touch.
You're never alone, I'm always here,
through the good times and the bad.
I'm always here to be your friend,
I don't like to see you sad.

Rainbow and my Friend
If I could catch a rainbow, I would do it, just for you,
And, share with you, its beauty, on the days you're feeling blue.
If I could, I would build a mountain, you could call your very own.
A place to find serenity, a place just to be alone.
If I could, I would take your troubles, and toss them into the sea.
But, all these things, I'm finding, are impossible for me.
I cannot build a mountain, or catch a rainbow fair;
but, let me be, what I know best,
A Friend, who's always there.
I promise to defend you, should the occasion ever rise,
And, I promise to wipe away the tears,
which might stream from your weeping eyes.
Let me be the trusted Friend, the one that you know best.
I will never leave you, on that, you can surely rest.