Sensational ideas for those with dementia and other nursing home residents(Part 4)

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

USA Today

Touch
Cashmere socks tickling your toes. A child's arms around your neck. A snowflake on your tongue. "The sensation of touch affects every part of our bodies," says Steven Hsiao, Ph.D., associate neuroscience professor at Johns Hopkins University. Without it, we'd have a lot less fun (hot-stone massage) and be a lot less safe (hot pan!).
Women, who typically have thinner skin than men, are lucky enough to have stronger touch sensations. But we all lose our sense of touch as we age, about 1 percent a year beginning in our 20s, Hsiao says. The good news is that the outmost layer of the epidermis is renewed continuously, and there are lots of pleasurable ways to rev up those touch receptors.
Keep it soft. The rougher your skin, the more difficult it is to sense touch. So slather on a rich cream or lotion to keep your nerve endings moist and firing.
Pat your own bunny. The areas in your brain involved in touch enlarge when exposed to new sensations. To stimulate them, try choosing your clothes by feel. You'll notice the nap of a pair of corduroys, those nubby socks, your favorite silk shirt. Celebrate the textures of the foods, too: An avocado's rough skin, silky tofu, the stickiness of a licorice string.
Get skin-to-skin. Studies show that holding hands with a partner relaxes a woman. So, too, can any kind of skin-to-skin contact such as massage, acupressure, even a lunchtime pedicure or manicure.

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