Saturday, October 28, 2017

Halloween activities for everyone!

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


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



by Kathleen Milazzo, Chicago Recreation Examiner

Halloween is a wonderful excuse for a party and whether you are hosting one at a nursing home or having it at your own house, there are Halloween activities that everyone can participate in.

One of the most traditional Halloween activities is apple bobbing, however I even have trouble with that activity. The very young, the elderly, and the handicapped have even more difficulty and usually don't involve themselves in that game. For some it can feel as though they are being left out, but not to worry, we can fix that!

First, you need to know if you don't already that Alzheimer patients do not like water. Secondly, it's important with older individuals that you preserve their dignity, so you've got to present the activities to them carefully, especially when it's something that the young usually do. You may want to remind them that at their age they've earned the right to kick back and have some fun. You can also tell them that bobbing for apples in water is a kids game but that you've got a version that's a little more dignified for adults. Tell them they'll have fun and what do they care what anyone thinks. Finally start off by reminiscing and discussing with them how they celebrated at Halloween parties when they were young. Get them to laugh and remember if they can.

To further get them in the mood, costumes are in order. You only need to get some funny masks and/or hats. They can feel more a part of the party at little effort and cost.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Halloween Memories – Mental Boost for Seniors

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


Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be


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



Suite101

Katrena Wells

Seniors with Alzheimer's or dementia may recall Halloween traditions from years ago. Find tips for reminiscing that may boost mental health in older adults.

Older adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease may be able to recall memories from long ago even if they do not have an intact short term memory. For example, a senior with dementia may not remember what he had for lunch but may be able to tell you many details about his first car.

Caregivers of people with dementia are often challenged to find meaningful activities for people with cognitive dysfunction. Reminiscing is one way to capitalize on the person’s strength of long-term memory, which can boost their feelings of self-worth, emotional well-being, and may provide insight into a time that may soon be forgotten.

The setting for reminiscing may be formal, as in the case of a group setting in a long term care facility or nursing home, or it may be more informal in a one-on-one conversation. By preparing a few questions in advance, the caregiver may be able to assist the senior to enjoy memories and perhaps even a laugh.

Family Traditions of Halloween in the Past
Years ago, Halloween traditions were quite different from modern commercialized trends of today. Many younger people today may have no idea what cow tipping or a Johnny house is, but an elder may readily tell others all about these and many other Halloween jokes of years ago.


Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Dementia and Halloween

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


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


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



Eons

Dementia/Alzheimer’s and Halloween have something in common- they are both scary! To an dementia/Alzheimer’s person Halloween can be destabilizing because of children constantly ringing the doorbell, strange decorations, confusing costumes and ghostly creaking sounds which contribute to the spirit of the holiday. This doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate, but you might want to reevaluate the ritual to see it with Dementia/Alzheimer’s eyes.

Here are some tips for a fun Halloween:

•Prepare for the celebration by discussing your plans with the Alzheimer’s person and describing the holiday dynamics like trick or treaters. For example, show your loved one a decoration and ask, “Do you like this decoration?” If he or she says, “This frightens me,” then respect this perception. Don’t try to talk him or her out of it. Most patients will be okay with pumpkins and cats; however, witches and ghosts might be unnerving.

•Keep furniture in its place. Consequently, your loved one will not become confused or even worse, bump into things and fall. Dementia affects balance and perception. Watch out for low-lying candles! It’s always easier to prevent than to treat.

•Avoid rigging up strange sounds like ghostly laughter or creaking doors because they bombard people with too much stimuli.

•Let neighbors know that candy will be placed outside the door, (the honor system), so that children will not keep ringing the doorbell and frightening your loved one. Or put up a note on the door with instructions for trick or treaters. However, if your loved one is adequately prepared and looks forward to the children at your doorstep by all means let them come in and strut their stuff!

•Know your loved one’s dietary restrictions, especially if he or she is diabetic. If you keep Halloween candy in a nearby bowl, you might be surprised that much of it will be missing. Those candy corns can give anyone a sugar rush! Instead place some healthy, colorful treats like cut-up apples with cinnamon or berry/yogurt parfaits. Bake your own pumpkin pie using wholesome ingredients as you follow a lighter recipe.

Halloween can be tweaked and personalized to communicate a meaningful updated ritual. Both you and your loved one will enjoy the current anticipation as you tap into a positive memory of past celebrations. Make decorations together to maximize the occasion. Art therapy provides positive stimulation and creative self-expression. And while you are coloring and pasting, play music in the background, preferably from your loved one’s time period, for happiness synergy.

Did you ever think that Halloween can be scary for your parents with dementia??

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

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Easy exercises

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

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]

KY3 News

National Institute on Aging at NIH

Check out these 13 light exercises that can help prevent and fight Alzheimer's. See how Missouri State University researchers are investigating an innovative concept in the battle against Alzheimer's. 





The 13 exercises in this sample workout can help seniors and people looking for light exercises to pevent and fight Alzheimer's. In this booklet, you’ll find easy-to-follow strengthbalance, and flexibility exercises that you can do anytime, anywhere. 

Continued below video...
Battling Alzheimer's


Workout to Go: A Sample Exercise Routine from the National Institute on Aging at NIH

Featured exercises include:
For more exercises and information, see Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging, or check out the resources offered through Go4Life®, an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at NIH.
This publication is also available on Google Play and iTunes .

Monday, October 16, 2017

Using Humor for those with Alzheimer's disease


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

Chicago Tribune
by Lisa Pevtow

To an Alzheimer's patient, there's nothing funny about forgetting to turn off the oven, losing a telephone number or misplacing books from the library. But turning those mishaps into punch lines might turn out to be therapeutic.

The idea that improvisational comedy might help those in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer's cope with their disease is being tested by the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company

Not having to memorize lines or remember a story narrative might spur confidence by freeing patients from worry over lost words or thoughts, and actually stimulate their brain chemistry to forge new protections against further onslaught of the disease, researchers say.

A possible role for creative arts in improving life for those with memory loss is being studied nationwide. In the region, besides Northwestern's Memory Ensemble project, which will continue in the fall, Elmhurst College researchers are looking at whether theater classes have a measurable effect on seniors' brains, and in Northfield, a day services facility is encouraging spontaneous storytelling.

At a recent improv session, skits progressed unexpectedly: A pair of lovers morphed into a mushroom hunting expedition; an ice skating adventure became a camping trip.

"I don't know what I'm doing," one of the performers confided, "but it's freeing."

Susan Walsh-Haggerty, 63, of Oak Lawn, appreciated the experience.

"I've learned that I am imaginative, playful and creative," said Walsh-Haggerty, pausing to search for the right word. "I can be funny."

Mary Beth Roth, whose husband, Wolfgang Roth, 80, participated, said he couldn't tell her 10 minutes later what he'd done, but, "Every day after class, there was a lightness in his spirit. There was a buoyancy about him, a more positive attitude."

Wolfgang Roth, a former dean of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston and a retired Hebrew scripture scholar, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2007. His wife said the class "opened an avenue of new experience for him." She recalled that during a skit about a student and teacher, her husband accidentally used the wrong word, but everyone laughed, because it was funny, and the skit just went in another direction.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

What do George Burns, Gunsmoke and Hemingway all have in common?

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some Mandala art

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Nursing Home Activities Resource

They’re all great to listen to!

Many seniors find themselves spending much less time socially when trying to manage the emotions of isolation, loneliness or depression because of their health and circumstances. So it is of vital importance that caregivers at home and in care facilities make sure every effort is made to keep seniors spending some time with others and, hopefully, actively engaged in games, fun and laughter. Laughter really is a medicine to the body and mind, and it can be very therapeutic emotionally as well.

Not all group activities have to be a rip roaring time either. As enjoyable as it is to be read to, seniors would enjoy just sitting together in a room and listening to an old episode of Gunsmoke, or the Lone Rangers. Many will remember sitting around the radio with their family listening to these great shows.

Remember when…? Those old radio shows can stir the imagination, can’t they? How about another good laugh to an old radio classic of George Burns? Or Laurel and Hardy? .

For those times when reading to someone isn’t practical, a book can still be well enjoyed on audio too. Some may enjoy rediscovering the suspense of Sherlock Holmes, or the descriptive prose of Hemingway.

The Old Time Radio shows and even the audio books could be used by activity director’s for trivia games and theme months. They engage the emotions and entertain the imagination!

Friday, October 6, 2017

More Ways to Keep the Mind of People in Long Term Care Active in October



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


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]


There are a number of activities that can be done in the October with those who have dementia whether they live at home or at a long term care facility. Many of the activities can be done with other long term care residents as well. Remember any activity that makes people think will go along way in slowing the decline of dementia. In addition sparking conversation as these suggested ideas do, also help to keep a dementia person's mind active and slows down the disease process.

October is also pizza month. You could have a pizza party. You can make English muffin pizzas. If you do not want to do any cooking, you can talk about pizza toppings. See how many you and the group can name.

Another big event happening in October is the World Series. In fact October is World Series Month.

This is a good opportunity to talk about baseball one last time. Talk about favorite baseball teams, teams that might make it to the World Series, baseball trivia, etc. Of course do not forget to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".


October: Reproducible Activities (From Your Friends At The Mailbox, Grade 1)