Happy New Year

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

To all the readers of this blog who are eager to learn more about dementia, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy new year

Try to relax. Enjoy the holiday. Remember it is about being with family and friends and taking pleasure in their company.

It is about remembering the good times and forgetting the bad. It is about letting go of useless grudges.

It is about enjoying the moment because with dementia, that is all you may get. Remember to create your own moments of joy so you and your dementia friends can have the most joyous holiday possible

Thank you all for making “Activities Director” a stop on your blogging journey. In the days to come, I will be discussing more information about dementia that you will find most helpful. See you soon and…..

 Happy New Year

From Susan Berg author of 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.

Learn about leap year people, events,and music

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]

This information is for an activity discussed in the February E- magazine oF Activity Director Today

People
Famous people born on February 29 include*:
1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
Some people have a leap day birthday. ©iStockphoto.com/iofoto
1792 – Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer(William Tell, The Barber of Seville) (d. 1868)
1896 – Morarji Desai, former Indian prime minister (d. 1995)
1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)
1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, former president of El Salvador
1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer
1960 – Anthony (Tony) Robbins, American motivational speaker
1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian hockey player
1972 – Antonio Sabàto Jr, Italian-born actor
1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
1980 – Chris Conley, American musician and songwriter/composer
Events
Events that took place on February 29 in history include*:
1692 – First accusations began during the Salem witch trials. The trials occurred in Massachusetts in the United States, where more than 150 people were arrested and at least 25 people died by hanging, torture or during their prison stay.
1848 – Neufchatel declares the independence of Switzerland.
1940 – Hattie McDaniel was the first African American actress to win an Oscar. She won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind. The movie won eight Oscars.
1944 – The invasion of the Admiralty Islands began as United States General Douglas MacArthur led his forces in "Operation Brewer". Troops surged onto Los Negros, following a month of Allied advances in the Pacific. This event was one of the highlights of World War II.
1952 – The first “Walk/Don't Walk” signs were installed in New York City.
1964 – Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser received her 36th world record. She was timed at 58.9 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle in Sydney, Australia. She was the first female swimmer to win gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games (1956, 1960 and 1964).
1972 – The Carpenters received a gold record for the hit single Hurting Each Other. The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo of siblings, Karen and Richard, who produced a softer style of music in an era when loud rock was in demand. They were one of the best-selling music artists in the 1970s. 1904 - On this day in Washington, DC, a seven-man commission was
 created to hasten the construction of the Panama Canal. Work began
 May 4th. It's always hard to get something going by committee; so we
 guess that's why it took seven men two months to get the work going.
 1920 - Dateline -- Budapest, Hungary: Miklos Horthy de Nagybanya
 became the Regent of Hungary just six months after leading a
 counterrevolution. He probably gained control because everyone else
 was distracted while trying to pronounce his name.
 1932 - Bing Crosby and the Mills Brothers teamed up to record "Shine"
  for Brunswick Records.
1936 - Fanny Brice brought her little girl character "Baby Snooks" to
 radio on "The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air" on CBS Radio. Miss Brice
 presented the character and later sang "My Man" on the program. She
 was 44 at the time, and was known as America's "Funny Girl" long
 before Barbra Streisand brought her even greater fame and notoriety
 nearly 30 years later.
 1940 - Hattie McDaniel was the first black person to win an Oscar. She
 won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Mammy in "Gone
 with the Wind". GWTW also won Best Picture, Best Actress for Vivien
 Leigh's performance and Best Director for Victor Fleming, Best
 Screenplay for Sidney Howard's writing plus awards for Color
 Cinematography, Interior Decoration and Film Editing. Other Oscar
 winners on this night were Best Actor, Robert Dunat in "Goodbye, Mr.
 Chips", and Best Supporting Actor, Thomas Mitchell in "Stagecoach".
 1944 - The invasion of the Admiralty Islands began on this date as U.S.
 General Douglas MacArthur led his forces in "Operation Brewer".
 Troops surged onto Los Negros, following a month of Allied advances in
 the Pacific.
 1944 - The first woman appointed secretary of a national political party
 was named to the Democratic National Committee. Dorothy McElroy
 Vredenburgh of Alabama began her new appointment this day. 1944 -
 The Office of Defense Transportation, for the second year, restricted
 attendance at the Kentucky Derby to residents of the Louisville area to
 prevent a railroad traffic burden during wartime. We imagine that horses
 were allowed in from elsewhere, though...
 1952 - New York City pedestrians were told when to walk and when
 not to as four signs were installed at 44th Street and Broadway in Times
 Square. Each sign flashed "Walk" for 22 seconds, then "Don't Walk" for
 ten seconds before the "Don't Walk" turned red for 58 seconds more.
 We're told that eight out of ten people obeyed the signs ... not bad for
 New Yorkers who will walk right through one door of a car and out the
 other to get across the street quickly.
 1960 - A report from the White House stated that America's kids were
  getting too fat! I'll have a cheeseburger, fries and a shake.
 1964 - Dawn Fraser got her 36th world record this day. The Australian
 swimmer was timed at 58.9 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle in
  Sydney, Australia.
 1964 - The United States was in the grip of Beatlemania! "I Want to
 Hold Your Hand", by the lads from Liverpool, was in its 5th week at #1
 on the pop charts. It stayed there until March 21, when it was replaced
 by "She Loves You", which was replaced by "Can't Buy Me Love",
  which was finally replaced by "Hello Dolly", by Louis Armstrong, on May
 9, 1964. 14 straight weeks of #1 stuff by the Beatles! Yeah, yeah, yeah...
 1964 - Hang on to your racquets on this one, sports fans: A shuttlecock
 drive record was set by Frank Rugani this day. Mr. Rugani slammed the
  birdie 79-feet, 8-1/2 inches in a test at San Jose, CA. A giant leap for
  badminton. A little leap for all mankind.
 1972 - The U.S. Justice Department had recently settled an antitrust
 lawsuit in favor of International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation.
  On this date, newspaper columnist, Jack Anderson revealed a memo
 written by ITT's Washington lobbyist, Dita Beard, that connected ITT's
 funding of part of the Republican National Convention with the resulting
 lawsuit settlement.
1972 - Swimmer Mark Spitz was named the 1971 James E. Sullivan
Memorial Trophy winner as the top amateur athlete in America.
1972 - Karen and Richard Carpenter of Downey, CA, received a gold
record for the hit single "Hurting Each Other". When they tore the golden
platter from its protective frame and plunked it on the player, they heard,
"Hurt So Bad", by Little Anthony and the Imperials. They were so upset
by this that they ran out to the back yard and used the record as a
Frisbee for the rest of the day. (Some of the preceding is based upon
actual fact.)
1988 - "Day by Day", a situation comedy, premiered on this date on
NBC-TV. It was one of the "yuppie sitcoms" that were all over the TV
dial in the late '80s. This particular one was about a suburban
overachieving couple who dropped out and opened up a day-care center
in their home to spend more quality time with their children. The quality
time lasted just under five months.
1956
                        The Great Pretender - The Platters
                        Band of Gold - Don Cherry
                        The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter and his Orchestra
                        I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
                        1964
                        I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
                        Dawn (Go Away) - The Four Seasons
                        You Don't Own Me - Leslie Gore
                        See the Funny Little Clown - Bobby Goldsboro
 
                        1972
                        Without You - Nilsson
                        Never Been to Spain - Three Dog Night
                        American Pie - Don McLean
                        It's Four in the Morning - Faron Young
                        1984
                        Jump - Van Halen
                        Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
                        Thriller - Michael Jackson
                        Stay Young - Don Williams
                        Special thanks to 440 International Inc.

Sadie Hawkin's Day

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]

This information is for an activity discussed in the February E- magazine oF Activity Director Today

Sadie Hawkins Day is a fun holiday usually celebrated on February 29 on leap years Sadie is a comic strip character. Over the decades, it has developed into a well-known celebration.

Sadie Hawkins was created by a man called Al Capp. He wrote a now-classic cartoon called Li'l Abner. He worked on this from 1934 to 1977. Ms Hawkins lived in a small rural community in the fictional town of Dogpatch.

She waited and waited and waited for a marriage proposal, but none came. At the age of 35, her father struck upon an idea to marry off his daughter. He decided to name a day after his daughter.

There was a special event on this day(Feb 29). Sadie had to chase all the unmarried men in the town. Whoever she caught, she would marry.

The bachelor chase in the cartoon strip is still observed today in many places in the USA. The most common events are special parties at which girls can approach boys and ask them to dance. The parties are sometimes called "WPAs" (Women Pay All) or "Turnabout". Obviously, this is because the girls invite the boys and pay for dinner and dance tickets, etc. These events are declining in popularity. In 1952, there were over 40,000 Sadie Hawkins Day events. Nowadays, with the rise of the modern feminist movement, it has become more of a fun event. It is common today to “go dutch,” which is when a man and woman split the bill at a restaurant.

Some people celebrate Sadie Hawkins Day in November

How to Help Those with Alzheimer’s Enjoy the Holiday Season

As an Activoiies Director,other healthcare professional, or cavegiver, you will be interested in this

About.com
By Carrie Hill, PhD,
While people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, often enjoy the holiday season, those with early-stage Alzheimer's might feel a special sense of loss during this time. And those in the middle or later stages could become overwhelmed by the influx of people and boisterous celebrations. Here are three ways to help your loved one enjoy the holiday season:

Involve your relative in holiday preparations. Have your loved one help with tasks she enjoys, and adapt those tasks to her current abilities. For instance, she could help you wrap gifts ....read the whole article

Animals that leap

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

This information is for an activity discussed in the February E- magazine oF Activity Director Today

Animals that leap or jump

Most animals can leap, and some are really good at it.


Antelopes, gazelles, tigers, leopards, cats, monkeys, flying squirrels, gliding lizards and horses (think:  dressage), kangaroos lions, tigers, rabbits, grasshoppers and frogs


In fact, most types of animals can leap with the exception of large ungulates such as elephants, rhinos, hippos, etc.

Why there is leap year

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]

Leap year comes every four years

Learn why

subscribe to the  Activity Director e-magazine to learn about great leap year activities in the February 2016 edition

It was the ancient Egyptians who first figured out that the solar year and the man-made calendar year didn't always match up.

That's because it actually takes the Earth a little longer than a year to travel around the Sun — 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact.

Therefore, as the hours accumulated over the centures, an extra day was occasionally added to the calendar, and over time the practice became more or less official.

The Romans first designated February 29 as leap day, but a more precise formula (still in use today) was adopted in the 16th century when the Gregorian calendar fine-tuned the calculations to include a leap day in years only divisible by four - 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, etc.

Another stipulation ruled that no year divisible by 100 would have a leap year, except if it was divisible by 400. Thus, 1900 was not a leap year ... but 2000 was! Go figure.

Thankfully, all this intricate plotting will continue to keep us in tune with the seasons over the next several thousand years.

While leap day helped official timekeepers, it also resulted in social customs turned upside down when February 29 became a "no man's land" without legal jurisdiction.

As the story goes, the tradition of women romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex having to wait for men to propose. Patrick finally relented and set February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a man's hand in marriage.

The tradition continued in Scotland, when Queen Margaret declared in 1288 that on February 29 a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she fancied. Menfolk who refused were faced with a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, or a pair of gloves given to the rejected lady fair.
A similar modern American tradition, Sadie Hawkins Day, honors "the homeliest gal in the hills" created by Al Capp in the cartoon strip Li'l Abner. In the famous story line, Sadie and every other woman in town were allowed on that day to pursue and catch the most eligible bachelors in Dogpatch. Although the comic strip placed Sadie Hawkins Day in November, today it has become almost synonymous with February 29.

Why are leap years needed?

Leap years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the earth's revolutions around the sun.
The next leap year will occur in 2016

More Christmas Ideas for Those with Dementia

These ideas can also be used with others who reside at a long term care facility
Therefore Activities Directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers will find this post of interest

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals 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


Alzheimer’s Care Group

Christmas Ideas

Hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner.  Commericals for Christmas sales are already beginning to pop up on the TV.  Here is a great idea for Christmas gifts that can be made by your residents.

Dough Art

Overview

Dough Art is a fun activity that gives residents the chance to use their hands and imagination.  The residents may use the dough to make ornaments and give them as Christmas gifts.

Purpose

·        To stimulate creativity and imagination

·        To give residents a sense of accomplishment

·        To provide sensory stimulation

Materials

Two cups of flour

One cup of salt

Water

Large bowl

Mixing spoon

Spice, such as ginger or nutmeg (optional)

Cookie cutters

Baking sheet (optional)

Paints (optional)

Ribbon or string (optional)

Set-up

Arrange chairs around a table.

Process

1.      Ask for one or two volunteers to help make the dough.

2.      Direct the volunteers to pour the flour and salt into the bowl. Next, tell them to mix together the flour, salt and spice (optional) with the mixing spoon.  Then, direct them to add just enough water so that the mix becomes a workable dough ball.

3.      Give each resident a chance to knead the dough.  Note: knead the dough for about 10 minutes total.

4.     

Separate the dough into balls.  Give one dough ball to each resident.

           Let the residents choose from the cookie cutters or simply mold the dough by hand.

Making Ornaments

1.      Place the dough shapes onto a baking sheet. Next, make a hole at the top of each shape so it may be hung later by a ribbon or string. Then, place the baking sheet into an oven heated to 300 degrees and bake for 1 ½ hours.

2.      Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the ornaments cool.

3.      Set the paints out.  Next, direct the residents to paint the items they made.  Then, let the items dry.

4.      Set out the ribbons or string.  Next, direct the residents to tie the ribbon or string to the top of each ornament.

5.      Suggest that the residents may want to give an ornament to a family member or friend as a Christmas gift.

6.      Ask for volunteers to help clean up.

More ideas for those with dementia and others in long term care

Man In Nursing Home Reacts To Hearing Music From His Era.

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

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]

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

The Music and Memory video took off because a viewer with lots of social influence posted the link to the video on Reddit. This points out how sharing an article can give it a "big life", and allows information to be found by persons all over the world. Hint.

In case you missed it, here is another view of the video, Man In Nursing Home Reacts To Hearing Music From His Era.

The video is before and after these other articles aboutthepowerofmusic for those with dementia

• Music Boosts Memory in Alzheimer’s Patients
• The Power of Music in Alzheimer’s Disease
• Improving the Quality of Life of Alzheimer's Patients and Their Caregivers
• Alzheimer's Patient, Dotty, Sings Embraceable You and Shine on Harvest Moon
• Lifestyle Changes and Music as Alzheimer's Therapy
• The Neuroscience of Music
• Music Boosts Memory in Alzheimer’s, Is this Why the Poop Song Works
• Does Music Unlock Memory in Alzheimer's Sufferers
• Seniors Bring Song, Hope To Alzheimer Patients
• Alzheimer’s and Music: How a Classical Violinist Brought Great Joy to My Demented Romanian Soul Mate
• Music and Alzheimer’s Disease: Using Music to Engage, Comfort and Bring Joy to Your Loved OnesActivities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Suggest Appropriate Gifts for Those with Dementia

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals 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

As an activities director, you are in a position to suggest gifts for family members to buy for their loved ones with dementia. Here is an article that will help you, other healthcare professionals and caregivers
prlog
Christmas,Chanukah and alike are the perfect chance to give gifts that are not only enjoyable but also are beneficial to persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. These presents keep on giving long after the holiday season is gone
First on the list of gifts is a book by Susan Berg called Adorable Photographs of Our Baby -- Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals, This book features baby photographs that seniors with dementia love. This book shares a plethora of ideas and resources for you.

Another gift dementia persons will fancy is a....read the whole article