Famous Horses

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

Wikipedia

Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961 and then on CBS from October 1, 1961 to February 6, 1966. A total of 143 episodes were produced, 26 for syndication, and 117 for CBS. It was the first TV show to premiere as a mid-season replacement.

Black Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid.^[1] The novel became an immediate bestseller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, long enough to see her first and only novel become a success. With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time.^[2] While forthrightly teaching animal welfare, it also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect. Black Beauty became a forerunner to the pony book genre of children's literature.^[3]

Set in Montana about 1900, this was a story about young Ken McLaughlin and his horse Flicka. Ken lived on a ranch with his parents Rob and Nell and the ranch-hand Gus and had many an adventure. Written by J.E. McKillop <jack-mckillop@worldnet.att.net>  

Famous pigs

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Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire


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

Wikipedia

Freddy the Pig is the central figure in a series of 26 books written between 1927 and 1958 by American author Walter R. Brooks, and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Consisting of 25 novels and one poetry collection, they focus on the adventures of a group of animals living on a farm in rural upstate New York.

Freddy is introduced as "the smallest and cleverest" of the pigs on the Bean farm. He becomes the central character shortly into the series. Freddy's interests drive the books as he becomes a detective, politician, newspaper editor, magician, pilot, and other vocations or avocations. A recurring villain is the slimy but dignified Simon, who leads a gang of criminal rats. Human characters include Mr. and Mrs. Bean, who own the farm, and the population of local Centerboro, and human villains.

Brooks created his animals for To and Again (1927) (later retitled Freddy Goes to Florida). It took some time before their personalities — and their ability to talk to humans when they chose — were fully developed.

In the remainder of the series, the animals of the Bean Farm lead a highly developed life, variously operating a bank, a newspaper, the First Animal Republic, and Freddy's detective business, which follows the principles of Sherlock Holmes as Freddy knows them from his reading.

Much of the humor in the books derives from the self-referential way in which the author acknowledges the unreality of talking animals, unlike other children's works in which they are accepted as normal. The Bean Farm animals have attained national fame for their ability to talk and read, and the humans they encounter are taken aback at first (though only momentarily) to find themselves conversing with animals. Although the animals and humans do not age, the stories reflect the social conditions at the time of writing, for example, the books published during World War II have scrap drives and victory gardens.

Charlotte's Web is a children's novel by American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur and his spider friend Charlotte, who saves him from slaughter. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams.

The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spidernamed Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.

Written in White's dry, low-key manner, Charlotte's Web is considered a classic of children's literature, enjoyable to adults as well as children. The description of the experience of swinging on a rope swing at the farm is an often cited example of rhythm in writing, as the pace of the sentences reflects the motion of the swing. Publishers Weeklylisted the book as the best-selling children's paperback of all time as of 2000

Songs about hats

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

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Hat Day is in September

by HATREVIVALIS

Where did you get that hat?

by Several Artists

Top hat white tie and tails

by Fred Astaire (originally) and others

You can keep your hat on

by Joe Cocker (and others)

Mexican Hat Dance

by Several Artists

Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat

by Bob Dylan (principally)

Without a hat

by the Fraggle Rock people

The bird on Nellie’s Hat

by Maidie Scott and others

I have a bonnet trimmed with blue

by Kathleen Ferrier (and others like Hattie Jaques)

Any Place I hang my hat is home

by Sammy Davis Junior and others

All Around My Hat

by Steelye Span

Easter Parade

Get Happy

Johnny (or Johnnie) Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet

Put on your old gray bonnet

Easy hat craft and games

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

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Hat Day is in September

These simple hats can be made from paper plates and can be decorated by participants

 The first step here is the same for any of the hat designs. Just fold the plate in half and cut the hole for the head (remember to leave a little part where the center design is still attached to the brim.) It’s best to guess the hole size a little on the small side, because if it doesn’t fit then you can always trim the hole a bit bigger.

Once you have the first cut made, you can then decide what you want your hat decoration to be. In this case the shamrock is symmetrical, so keeping the plate folded in half makes it easy to cut the shamrock leaf symmetrically. Once you’re done, open it up and decorate it any way you like. At this point I like to hand the cut out plates over to the participants to decorate, However, higher functioning residents can cut out the designated design.

Options for these kinds of hats are only limited by your imagination.

These hats can be used for a couple of interesting games.
Number shuffle.
Divide the participants into two teams (this works best if you have a minimum of five players in each team) Make the basic circle paper plate hats in advance and number them for however many people are in each team. Put the plate hats on the participant’s heads so that they cannot see their own number. Then see which team can line themselves up in numerical order. Alternately for a lower functioning group, just have one set of numbered hats. Then see if they can see who has number 1 etc by asking if the number on their hat is number 1. The rest of the group can tell the designated participant if the number on his hat is higher or lower than he guessed. Keep going until he guesses the number on his hat. Then he can pick who guesses next. Keep going for the designated amount of time or until everyone has guessed. Then you can put the participants in numerical order by the number on their hats. There are many adaptations to this game. If you need any, just leave a question in the comment section.

Guess Who.
Each person wears a hat with the name and picture of a character/real person on the front that they cannot see. Everyone else can see who they are though. Each person gets to ask “yes/no answer” questions to the group to try and guess who they are, such as “Am I fictional?” or “Am I human?” etc. If the answer to your question is yes then you get to ask another question. If the answer to your question is no then it is the next person’s turn to start asking their questions. The winner is the first person to correctly guess their secret identity.

Again you can modify this game for a lower functioning crowd. Just leave a question in the comment section.

Autumn craft: A simple centerpiece

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Autumn gardens are filled with the makings for bouquets and arrangements that can be placed outside or, when it turns cooler and the holidays approach, brought inside for a centerpiece. Try an arrangement with the following late-blooming flowers, vegetables, berries, fruits, and leaves:

Flowers
Sunflowers, asters, dahlias, zinnias, hydrangeas, September flower, sage, autumn bugbane

Vegetables and herbs
Pumpkins, winter squash, gourds, peppers, winter wheat, dill, sage

Berries and fruits
Cranberries, beautyberries, nandina, baneberries, porcelain berries, crabapples, blue cohosh berries, apples, pomegranates, mandarin oranges

Leaves
Colorful leaves from trees such as maple, oak, and magnolia; bushes such as viburnum and burning bush; or vines such as grape leaves and porcelain vine

Fall activities and dementia

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There are many types of activities that can be done in the fall with those who have dementia. Many of the activities can be done with other long term care residents as well

Activity Director Today displays activities for September, October and November, all of which are done in the fall

For example:
school begins in the fall
There are all sorts of activities related to going to school
The song School Days is a nice way to begin an activity based on going to school

Check back for more

Nursing home inspections find failings in care delivery

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Don't let this be you

By Conall Ó Fátharta
Irish Examiner Reporter

Failure to provide enough activities for residents with dementia, insufficient staffing, and failure to provide safe and appropriate care to residents are some of the failings highlighted in 32 nursing home inspection reports.

Of the 32 reports, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) found evidence of good practice and compliance with the regulations and standards in 26 centres.

However, evidence of non-compliance was found during six inspections. Residents’ needs were not always met in line with the regulations and standards in these centres.

Inspectors identified non-compliance in areas such as staff training; notifications required to be sent to Hiqa; governance and management; health and social care needs; policies and procedures; residents’ rights, dignity, and consultation; and health and safety and risk management.

However, non-compliance relating to nursing assessments and care plans were repeated findings of this later inspection..

In the latest inspection, carried out in May, Hiqa found that the provision of activities did not meet the needs of residents, particularly those with dementia.

“Based on evidence gathered in this inspection, inspectors formed the view that the location and provision of activities was dictated by the routine and resources of the centre, not by residents’ interests and suitability,” said Hiqa.

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‘Armchair karate’ to help dementia residents

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“Residents absolutely loved it. It helps them to exercise. It also helps their well-being because their chairing each other around,” said Ms Mielnik.

The Oaks Care Home resident Ann Lillico testing her punching power on pads held by carer Elizabeth Morton.

“It is difficult because all of the residents have dementia so it can be difficult to communicate,” she said. “But when they see the others doing the activity it makes them want to take part as well.”

“I never would have thought elderly people would enjoy something like this,” she added.

As all of the residents have dementia, the activity is one of many to help them stay active and brainstorm their minds through physical activities and recreation, said those behind the initiative.

Meanwhile, the care home also hosts a range of other activities, with the help of local charity MIND Active.

For example, every month the home hosts an activity centered around food, where they focus on different cultures and their cuisine, including an Italian night where residents had the opportunity to make their own pizza.

Meanwhile, other activities revolve around, gardening, letter writing, crafts and exercise.

MIND Active aims to use “mental stimulation” to promote elderly inclusion, mostly in South East Northumberland.

It provides a choice of community-based activities, where guests can enjoy musical entertainment, raffles, quizzes, and outdoor activities.

“We successfully lift the mood of loved ones, carers and those with dementia”

Stephen Ward

In February this year, MIND Active also teamed up with Whitehouse Farm Centre near Morpeth to host regular visits to dementia patients.

Stephen Ward, founder and project manager at MIND Active in Bedlington, said: “Living with dementia can be extremely isolating.

“At MIND Active, we have witnessed people affected by dementia benefit immensely just by being part of the community,” he said.

He added: “By offering a variety of socially-interactive events, we successfully lift the mood of loved ones, carers and those with dementia by helping them to enjoy quality time together.”

The home is part of Hill Care Group, which was established in 2001 and currently operates 38 care homes across the UK.

Kindling human connections

Activities directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers here is an interesting article I found in the
Jewish News of Greater Phoenix
Conference offers spiritual approach to dementia
VICKI CABOT
snippet of song, a snatch of Hebrew verse, a squeeze of the hand.

Each has the capacity to kindle the vital human connections often lost or diminished by dementia. Exploring our ability to find and nurture those contact points, as a source of strength and comfort for both those with dementia and those who love and care for them, is the focus of an upcoming conference sponsored by The Deutsch Family Shalom Center of Temple Chai in collaboration with Hospice of the Valley (HOV).

"Finding the Sacred in the Journey of Dementia: Comfort and Care for Jewish Families," funded by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation, is set for April 25 and 26 at Temple Chai. It includes a Saturday evening coffeehouse featuring music, poetry and a staged dramatic reading, followed by a Sunday afternoon of informational presentations and workshops. Speakers and facilitators include Maribeth Gallagher, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who is the dementia program director at HOV, and Rabbi Sheldon Marder, chaplain of the Jewish Home in San Francisco, who has created innovative ways to infuse geriatric care with Jewish spirituality.

Sharona Silverman, Shalom Center director, explains that the impetus for the conference came from a growing awareness of the increasing numbers of those with dementia and their families and a sensitivity to their needs. According to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, dementia is a general term that describes a group of symptoms such as loss of memory, judgment, language and other skills due to damage or death of brain neuron cells. Alzheimer's is one of the diseases that can cause dementia.

"Listening to our congregants, I could see the impact on them and their families," she says. A focus group last fall, followed by an HOV program earlier this year, reinforced her perception of the need to provide a communal response. HOV offers excellent nondenominational programming to a wide range of groups, but Silverman sought to provide a specifically Jewish response.

Temple Chai congregant Cathy Shalen, a focus group participant, emphasized the importance of addressing dementia in the community.

"People don't talk about it," says Shalen, who is caring for a family member in the early stages of dementia. Availing herself of resources, attending conferences and participating in a Shalom Center support group has helped immeasurably.

"I wish I had gone earlier," she says, noting the reluctance to confront dementia and seek help. "I could have been better prepared."

Silverman says the conference aspires to help the community understand the needs of those with dementia and the necessity for providing support for the individuals and their families.

"We want people to not feel so alone," she says, "and help them learn about some of the tools that can help."

The Saturday evening reading from "Greenland," an original work by Devorah Medwin, will help to initiate conversation and inspire communal response.

Medwin, a Valley writer who holds a master's in playwriting from the Actor's Studio Drama School in New York, wrote the short play about Alzheimer's while in graduate school. It turns on the reaction of three sisters to the growing realization that their mother is beginning to show signs of dementia. Valley actress and writer Debra Rich Gettleman will portray one of the three sisters in the play.

Medwin says the work explores the emotions that surface when confronted with dementia and the impending care-giving responsibilities it implies. The play, she says, is a vehicle for opening up the subject.

"Maybe people can't talk about it," she says, "but maybe a character can."

Gettleman says the play, and the transformational writing workshops that the duo will lead on Sunday, are designed to provoke discussion.

"It will open people up," she says of the dramatic portrayal, providing an opportunity for confronting issues and creating a sense of community.

Gallagher, who will speak on ways to enhance quality of life for both patient and caregiver, posits the growing need to learn about dementia as both.......read the whole aeticle

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