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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]

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There is now a monthly newsletter (on the mlhealth.org website) with a calendar that shows just how many activities there are to participate in at this nursing home. Among the events during the year: an antique car show, a Christmas mini-mall, regular baking, visits from local schoolchildren, a farm ...

by Mary Rains Mille Lacs Health System |

There is much talk in the news lately about residential nursing facilities (nursing homes) for seniors, much of it not good. With nearly 20,000 nursing homes in the United States caring for approximately 1.6 million residents – a number that is predicted to quadruple to 6.6 million by 2050 – reports of abuse and neglect are on the rise. It’s no wonder families struggle with eldercare choices.

But if you visit Mille Lacs Health System Long Term Care, you will see signs in the hallways that remind employees:

That idea is the foundation for how people are cared for here.

On a late winter day, MLHS Activities Aide Bernie Woitalla is leading a spirited morning word-find game with a large circle of residents. Brad Opager, also from the Activities Department, later reads the paper to a group which is discussing current affairs. Nursing assistant Maranda Boser, helping to wheel a resident down to the communal dining room, stops to enjoy a colorful finch in the large bird aviary with her. The respect and caring for the residents at MLHS Long Term Care is something you can feel, just walking down the halls or peeking into the dining commons area where floor-to-vaulted-ceiling windows let in plenty of sunshine.

When MLHS Activities Director Amber Sjodin joined the team, the already energetic Activities Department became buoyant with even more ways to help the residents engage with others and keep stimulated. There is now a monthly newsletter (on the mlhealth.orgwebsite) with a calendar that shows just how many activities there are to participate in at this nursing home.

Among the events during the year: an antique car show, a Christmas mini-mall, regular baking, visits from local schoolchildren, a farm animals day, State Fair day, a spelling bee, a Father’s Day BBQ, fundraising activities for the Family Council and art projects. The residents are also treated to regular visits by local musicians and music/dancing groups from the schools and community.

The local community’s contributions to the facility are much appreciated. The Onamia Lions and the local quilters club donate gifts, and an anonymous donor gave $2,000 to develop a state-of-the-art music program for the MLHS Memory Care Unit, which will lessen the anxiety that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Staff at MLHS also get involved, donating Christmas gifts to the residents at the holidays, as well as participating in the Silly Fashion Show, a festive sweater contest and the annual Halloween costume contest.

The 15-member family council brought the idea of a family room to reality, which was created as a cozy place for families to congregate for birthdays, reunions or other kinds of get-togethers. It has even been utilized for end-of-life gatherings.

The IN2L (It’s Never Too Late) computer and wall monitor get lots of use in the facility’s communal space. IN2L is a picture-based touch-screen that features education, games, spiritual content, virtual travel, e-mail, web cams, era-specific music and movies.

A new Long Term Care Rest and Relax program is being developed in the MLHS Memory Care Unit to help decrease “sundowning” (where confusion and agitation seem to get worse in the late afternoon and evening).

Kathy Kleen, R.N. and LTC Director of Nursing, says, “We realize not everybody is a joiner, and that’s okay. So we do a lot of one-to-one programming, too. Caring for body, mind and spirit using an individualized approach is our goal.”

“I supervise Minneapolis HCMC Family Medicine residents in who spend a few weeks with me here at MLHS,” says MLHS staff physician Tom Bracken. “They have an opportunity to visit MLHS Long Term Care, and invariably they are very surprised at the warm and caring atmosphere of our facility compared to those they visit in the metro area. The last resident said to me, ‘This seems like a home, not a nursing home.’”

“We really are a community within a community here,” says Kathy Kleen, who believes in strong leadership and ongoing education for staff members. “And I’m proud of the longevity of some of our staff. It helps with stability and continuity.”

In the MLHS Memeory Care Unit, employees talking gently with residents who are staring out the windows at the beauty of Lake Onamia demonstrate the commitment to the idea that the people who reside here should be respected and cared for as if they were “your own.”

It adds up to a place that really is dedicated to making sure the residents feel it is their home. And if home is where the heart is, there is a whole lot of heart here.

Cinco de Mayo for those with dementia

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

Cinco de Mayo is another opportunity to have a celebration and to create moments of joy for those with dementia

Start by getting a picture book like the one shown above. Have a discussion about Cinco de Mayo. There is information on the May page Make up some trivia questions using the information

Make some easy Mexican dishes such as tacos, tortilla chips and salsa, or refried beans. Or you can be adventurous and make something in the cook book below

Do not forget the Mexican music. You can play it as you are cooking

Top the celebration off with an arm chair trip to Mexico

An invitation to Passover: Traditional Seder is rich with readings, rituals and symbolic foods(part 2)

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

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

Get your subscription to Activity Director Today's e magazine


By Julie Wiener
Associated Press

The basics

All Seders include a few basic elements, such as kosher wine, matzo (unleavened bread), a Seder plate (a special plate that displays symbolic foods) and a reading of the Haggadah, the book that serves as a guide to the ceremony.

Beyond that, family traditions generally dictate.

Some families will dress formally and spend hours before the meal reading the Haggadah in Hebrew. Others are decidedly more casual, zip through the rituals in English and make the food the main event.

Many families create their own Haggadah, incorporating contemporary readings. Those who use published Haggadahs have hundreds to choose from, including books that embrace vegetarianism, feminism and other causes.

Some families conclude with dessert, while others continue into the night with singing, readings and prayers.

Four questions

Early in the Seder, the youngest participant typically will ask "The Four Questions." These are:

r Why does one eat matzo? (To remember their ancestors, who fled Egypt in a hurry and did not have time to let their bread rise before the journey.)

r Why does one eat bitter herbs? (A reminder of the bitterness of slavery.)

r Why does one dip parsley in salt water (a symbol of the tears shed by slaves) and bitter herbs in charoseth, a sweet fruit paste (the texture evokes the mortar slaves used when making bricks)?

r Why does one lean on a pillow or recline during the meal? (To symbolize the comforts of freedom.)

Come back again for more

Passover Seder (part 2)

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]

Get your subscription to Activity Director Today's e magazine

By Julie Wiener
Associated Press

The food

Passover lasts eight days and begins with two nights of Seders. The menu varies greatly depending on a family's background. While many Ashkenazi Jews won't eat legumes, corn, rice, most other grains or products made from them, Sephardic Jews are more lenient. Ashkenazi Jews are descended from people who lived in Germany and Eastern European countries, while Sephardic Jews have roots in Spain and Portugal.

Most Jews eschew "the five species of grains" — wheat, rye, oats, barley and spelt, all of which contain gluten.

The exception is matzo, which is made from wheat, but has not been allowed to ferment. Matzo must be baked within 18 minutes of the flour being combined with water.

Legumes also are forbidden, though Sephardic and Conservative Jews consume rice and legumes.

So what is allowed? Fruit is always a safe bet, as are potatoes and other root vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, eggs, fish, dairy and meat (although, in accordance with kosher laws, meat and dairy must be served separately).

If, like most American Jews, your hosts are of Ashkenazi descent, you are likely to start the meal with chicken-matzo ball soup, as well as gefilte fish (ground fish mixed with matzo meal, eggs and seasonings).

Other Passover favorites include brisket, roast lamb and a variety of side dishes, such as potato kugel, tzimmes (sweet potatoes and carrots) and assorted casseroles bound together with eggs and matzo meal.

For dessert, expect macaroons, fruit compote, candy and cakes and tortes made with ground nuts or other kosher-for-Passover flours. Beer and most other liquors are not allowed, but wine generally flows freely throughout the Seder.

The rituals

The Seder consists of 15 rituals, most of which occur before the meal is served. They include lighting candles, blessing wine, washing hands, breaking the matzo, dipping vegetables and telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

Usually, one of the hosts serves as the leader, but guests take turns reading sections from the Haggadah.

Interspersed are various traditional songs. Many Seders also feature contemporary readings on the themes of slavery and liberation.

An invitation to Passover: Traditional Seder is rich with readings, rituals and symbolic foods

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]

Get your subscription to Activity Director Today's e magazine

By Julie Wiener
Associated Press

The first time Abigail Auer attended a Passover Seder, she was eager to make a good impression and asked the hostess — also her future mother-in-law — to suggest a dish she could bring.

Auer, who is Roman Catholic, spent hours chopping and pureeing squash for a casserole.

As she spread on the bread-crumb topping, she asked her future husband and his roommate, both Jewish, "How come you can have bread crumbs, but not bread?"

"Their faces just said, 'Oh no,'" recalled Auer. Her mother-in-law, who had provided the recipe, had forgotten it included a bread-crumb topping, which the family had always left off in adherence to kosher-for-Passover laws.

When Auer's attempts to scrape off the bread crumbs failed, she left the casserole at home and brought flowers instead.

For Passover novices, an invitation to a Seder can be exciting, and a bit intimidating.

The most widely celebrated Jewish festival, Passover, which begins at sundown Saturday and is also known by its Hebrew name Pesach, commemorates the ancient Israelites' liberation from Egyptian slavery.

At a Passover Seder, a celebratory meal, the story of the Exodus is retold through readings, rituals and symbolic foods.

While some foods, such as matzo and bitter herbs, are required eating, others, including bread, are forbidden. Traditional Jews can't even store the taboo items in their homes or eat from dishes or cutlery that have touched them.

To a newcomer, the numerous rules and traditions can be overwhelming. Even veteran Seder-goers can find them confusing, particularly since the diversity of American Jews results in many different ways of celebrating.

Here's what you need to know: Come back for more info

Bible verses to celebrate Easter

Acti
vities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great 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]

If we knew nothing else of the Savior these two verses would teach us one of His greatest messages. That is, that no matter what the situation we must and we have the power to forgive and turn the other cheek.


"He is not here: for he is risen ,..." Mathew 28:6. With this angelic declaration, we learn of the Savior's miraculous victory over death. As the first person ever to triumph over the grave he released all mankind from the terrible grasp of the grave, giving us the gift of immortality.

Bible verses for Easter teach us that no matter how difficult our lives may seem, we have the ability to rise above and triumph over our trials. Jesus also suffered, but in His suffering He showed us a better way. The way in which we can reach a state of happiness that will allow us to follow in His path and change our lives and the lives of all those that we influence, for the better.

Easter Gifts For Those With Dementia and Other Long Term Care Residents

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]

Healthnews-stat.com


Over 5.5 million Americans are living with dementia. Is one of them someone you know or work with? Get him/her or anyone with Alzheimer's disease an Easter gift that will keep on giving long after the holiday 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 love classic musical video or DVD. They will enjoy watching something from the good old days and singing the songs played throughout the picture. Here are a few suggestions: Singin' in the Rain, Meet Me in St. Louis, or Shall We Dance

Next is a sing a long CD or audio cassette of their favorite love songs. There is a series of these called, Old Time Favorites by Nancy Pitkin

You may want to get a sing a long video where your loved one can see and hear performers singing songs they love and are about love. A good one is, Sing-Along with Phil Bernardi: Songs We Know and Love

Here is another idea. Give a friend with dementia some hand lotion. Any kind will do. Just be aware of any allergies or pain issues he/she might have. If he/she can tolerate it, those with a pleasant scent work well. Give him/her a relaxing hand massage talking about how good the hand massage feels, how much you love this person, and an Easter experience you both share from the past.

If you cannot afford or do not have time to get these gifts before Easter, give the gift of yourself. No matter how hard it is for you to visit a dementia person, he/she will appreciate your company even though he/she may not be able to express it. Take him/her for a walk, sing some of your favorite songs together, or share some messages of love. Just spend some quality time with a dementia person. Both of you will feel better. Do remember to be upbeat animated and excited about visiting.

A phone call or an Easter card will do if there is no way you can visit in person. At least they will know you are thinking of them. Then visit on another day.

So no matter what you do, do not forget the person with dementia this Easter because it will make you and him/her feel good. What could be better than that!

Order any of the products mentioned in the article at Amazon.com.
These gifts are simple, inexpensive or free, and can be enjoyed by all.

All About Eggs: An Activity for Those with Dementia

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





Get your subscription to Activity Director Today's e magazine


When you hear the word egg, you might think of breakfast, an omelet, bacon or any number of things. This game is all about things eggs remind people with dementia of. Just about everyone has eaten or cooked with eggs or both. Thinking about eggs may remind you of certain holidays and special days as well. That is why the egg is a perfect topic.

You can really start anywhere. In June National Egg Day is celebrated. I like to start by asking group members about ways to cook eggs. Most people with dementia do not eat raw eggs. Participants might say that you can fry eggs. Now here you could ask about ways to fry eggs such as scrambled or you could go on with other ways to cook eggs like boiling them.

You could discuss what breakfast foods you make with eggs like French toast, waffles or pancakes. Pancakes and waffles could be another side discussion because there are many different foods you can mix with the batter to make different varieties of these breakfast treats. You might also put different types of toppings on as well.

Still on the topic of breakfast, you and your participants with dementia can talk about foods you eat with eggs such as ham, bacon sausage or toast. As another side discussion, you can talk about varieties of any of these things. For example, if you are talking about types of toast and what toppings you could put on toast.

What is aromatherapy

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]

Annie's Aromatherapy

What are Essential oils?
Volatile plant oils extracted by steam distillation from flowers, leaves, roots, seeds and bark. Highly concentrated, fragrant oil, rich in chemical compounds of the mother plant. Volatile means the oils will evaporate and become airborne upon contact with air or heat.

Organic Aromatherapy Essential Oils Hippocrates understood the antibacterial properties of aromatic plants and urged the people of Athens to burn them during an outbreak of plague. Volatile plant oils are extracted by steam distillation from flowers, leaves, roots, seeds and bark. These highly concentrated, fragrant oils are rich in chemical compounds of the mother plant. Essential oils, resins and hydrosols make it easy to incorporate the healing properties of herbs, and plants into your life.

Bath and Body Essential oils can smooth away wrinkles, and soften damaged skin and they work on a healing level that synthetic compounds cannot duplicate.

Emotional Healing One of the reasons aromatherapy works so well is that it works on both the emotional level and the physical level at the same time.

Home and Garden Essential oils and other natural aromatherapy products can replace the chemicals we use to clean our homes, control pests, and care for our pets.

Medicinal Aromatherapy is a serious option for those interested in holistic healing. All Essential oils are natural born infection fighters

Aromatherapy literally means "the use of smell to effect a cure", and was first coined by French chemist Dr. Rene M. Gattefosse in 1928. Aromatherapy makes use of the essential oils produced by herbs, trees, grasses to heal, energize and stimulate our bodies own self-healing powers. It is unfortunate that aromatherapy has been co-opted and trivialized to sell scented consumer products, often with inferior, chemical scents that have their origins in a lab, not in nature. Therapeutic use of essential oils for health and well being is a serious option for both healing, with the oils used in healing touch and massage therapies. Essential oils can also be used to clean and disinfect the air we breathe, while lifting and calming our spirits.

Acne * Aphrodisiac * Arthritis * Asthma * Bath And Body * Bronchitis * Bruises * Burns * Calming * Cellulite * Colds * Congestion *Constipation * Cough * Cramps * Cuts * Deodorant * Digestion * Disinfectant/antiseptic * Emotional Healing * Energizing * Facial * Feet * Fibromyalgia * Focus * Fresheners * Green_clean * Grounding * Hair * Headache * Herpes * Home And Garden * Insect_repellent *Lice * Medicinal * Menopause * Muscle Pain * Nervous Tension * Neuralgia * Personal Care * Pet * PMS * Rashes * Shingles * Skin *Sleep * Sprains * Stress * Teeth * Uplifting * Warming/Relaxing * Wrinkles *