Thursday, January 31, 2019

Flower Songs


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


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

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be


Flower Songs

Al Martino - Tears And Roses (1964)
Henry Mancini - Days Of Wine And Roses (1963)
Andy Williams - Days Of Wine And Roses (1963)
Bobby Darin - 18 Yellow Roses (1963)
The Jaynetts - Sally, Go 'Round The Roses (1963)
Paul Peterson - Lollipops And Roses (1962)
Nat King Cole - Ramblin' Rose (1962)
David Carroll - The White Rose Of Athens (1962)
Billy Vaughn - Orange Blossom Special (1961)
Anita Bryant - Paper Roses (1960)
Marty Robbins - A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation) (1957)
Mitch Miller - Yellow Rose Of Texas (1955)

Percy Wenrich-When You Wore a Tulip

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Valentine's Day Activities for Those Suffering from Dementia

valentines day vintage lettering background
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

With more than 5.5 Americans living with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia, loved ones and healthcare professionals need to take every chance to make the lives of those stricken better and happier.

It is also important that while doing this, you stimulate a dementia sufferer's mind to make his or her decline slower.

What can you do this Valentine's Day that will be engaging, fun and exciting for someone with dementia?

What you do depends a lot on the likes, dislikes and interests of the person with dementia. Make sure you do something fun together, no matter what it is.
First before the holiday even begins, you and persons with dementia can create and send valentines.

If you decide to make the valentines, you can use construction paper, stickers, or doilies. You can precut hearts out of paper if necessary. Then ask the dementia person to place the stickers on the hearts. You may have to hand those with Alzheimer's disease, one sticker at a time. If this is too difficult, just ask the dementia person where the sticker should be placed. You can have fun with the stickers also. Stick one on your nose. Then laugh. As you know laughter is the best medicine.

Use your imagination to come up with other materials you can use to create a valentine such as: magic markers, lace, ribbon, or photographs

Remember even if the valentines do not look that good, it is the process not the product that counts.

In addition, you do not have to make the valentines. You can buy an inexpensive box of valentines. There are many that are appropriate for adults. Encourage those with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia to sign the cards. Often a person with mid stage dementia can still sign his name. If not, have him just look at the valentines. You can comment on the colors and objects on the valentines. Ask the dementia person what these things remind him of. If he needs help tell him what the objects remind you of


Sunday, January 27, 2019

Weather aesop's fable


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]

A fable related to some elements of the weather

The North Wind and the Sun

The North Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful, and agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes.
The North Wind first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around him, until at last, resigning all hope of victory, the Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could do.
The Sun suddenly shone out with all his warmth. The Traveler no sooner felt his genial rays than he took off one garment after another, and at last, fairly overcome with heat, undressed and bathed in a stream that lay in his path.
Moral: Persuasion is better than Force.

Perfect Valentine gifts for those with dementia


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

You 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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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 a Valentine's Day 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 a Valentine's Day experience you both share from the past.

If you cannot afford or do not have time to get these gifts before Valentine's Day, 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 a Valentine's 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 Valentine's Day 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. Order the book, Adorable Photographs of Our Baby -- Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals, the audio CDs and cassettes and the videos and DVDs at seabaygame.com

These gifts are simple, inexpensive or free, and can be enjoyed by all

Friday, January 25, 2019

Ground hog's day story

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


A ground hog is a small animal that digs and lives under the ground. It is also called the woodchuck. Ground hogs live in many parts of America. In the winter they hibernate like bears and some other animals.

There is a legend that says a few hundred years ago Europeans brought Ground Hog Day to America. They said that the ground hog wakes up from his hibernation on February 2. (February 2 is half way between winter and spring.) If he comes up from his hole and it is sunny, he will see his shadow and be frightened. If he sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter weather. But if he comes up and the sky is cloudy, he will not see his shadow and will not be frightened. Then spring weather will come very soon.

Some people believe this legend and they watch the sky on February 2. Many people are happy if it is cloudy on that day. They think spring will come soon. But most people think it is just a fun legend. What do you think?

More winter weather trivia and ideas


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]

Remember February 5 is National Weather Persons' Day

weatherwizkids

    


Winter Storms
How do winter storms form?
Winter storms derive their energy from the clash of two air masses of different temperatures and moisture levels. Winter storms usually form when an air mass of cold, dry, Canadian air moves south and interacts with a warm, moist air mass moving north from the Gulf of Mexico. The point where these two air masses meet is called a front. If cold air advances and pushes away the warm air, it forms a cold front. When warm air advances, it rides up over the denser, cold air mass to form a warm front. If neither air mass advances, it forms a stationary front.


Precipitation Chart

Click Here to see what winter is like where you live.
How is snow formed?
Snow is commonly formed when water vapor undergoes deposition, which is when water vapor changes directly to ice without first becoming a liquid, high in the atmosphere at a temperature of less than 32°F and then falls to the ground.

Snow
How do blizzards form?
A blizzard is a long-lasting snowstorm with very strong winds and intense snowfall. You need three things to have a blizzard; cold air at the surface, lots of moisture, and lift. Warm air must rise over cold air.

Blizzard
What are snowflakes?
Snowflakes are made of ice crystals. Each snowflake is six-sided and made of as many as 200 ice crystals. Snowflakes form in clouds where the temperature is below freezing. The ice crystals form around tiny bits of dirt that has been carried up into the atmosphere by the wind. As the snow crystals grow, they become heavier and fall toward the ground.
Snowflake


Why is snow white?
Bright snow blinds us with its gleaming white color because it reflects beams of white light. Instead of absorbing light, snow's complex structure prevents the light from shining through its lattice formation. A beam of white sunlight entering a snow bank is so quickly scattered by a zillion ice crystals and air pockets that most of the light comes bouncing right back out of the snow bank. What little sunlight is absorbed by snow is absorbed equally over the wavelengths of visible light thus giving snow its white appearance. So while many natural objects get their blue, red, and yellow colors from absorbing light, snow is stuck with its white color because it reflects light.

Snow
What is thundersnow?

Thundersnow is when thunder and lighting occur during a snowstorm. This occurs most often in late winter or early spring. To get thundersnow, you need a mass of cold air on top of warm air, plus moist air closer to the ground. Thundersnow starts out like a summer thunderstorm. The sun heats the ground and pushes masses of warm, moist air upward, creating unstable air columns. As it rises, the moisture condenses to form clouds, which are jostled by internal turbulence. The "tricky part" for making thundersnow is creating that atmospheric instability in the wintertime. For thundersnow to occur, the air layer closer to the ground has to be warmer than the layers above, but still cold enough to create snow. During thundersnow events, heavy snowfall is to be expected. In some cases, two inches per hour is possible.
What is sleet?
Sleet is just rain drops that freeze into ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet usually bounces when hitting a surface and does not stick to objects. However, it can accumulate like snow and cause a hazard to motorists.
What is freezing rain?
Freezing rain is just rain that falls onto a surface with a temperature below freezing. This causes it to freeze to surfaces, such as trees, cars, and roads, forming a coating or glaze of ice. Even small accumulations of ice can cause a significant hazard.

Ice Storm


What is an ice storm?
An ice storm is a type of winter storm caused by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least 0.25-inch of ice on exposed surfaces.

Ice Storm

How do ice storms form?
Ice storms form when a layer of warm air is between two layers of cold air. Frozen precipitation melts while falling into the warm air layer, and then proceeds to refreeze in the cold layer above the ground. This creates freezing rain or a glaze of ice.


What is frost?
Frost is white ice crystals that form on a surface, like the ground or leaves of a plant. Frost is created when the air temperature drops below freezing and the water vapor in the air freezes into ice crystals.


What is a frost quake?
Frost quakes are non-tectonic seismic events, meaning they are not caused by the shifting of the Earth's tectonic plates. Also known as cryoseisms, frost quakes are caused by a sudden rapid freezing of ground and bedrock, usually when temperatures go from above freezing to below zero. As moisture absorbed in the rock and soil freezes, it expands. This puts a great amount of stress on the areas around it. Eventually, the stress is too much and the soil and rock will crack in an "explosive" manner, creating a loud sound and even shaking the ground surface. Since temperatures are coldest in the overnight hours, most people experience frost quakes in the middle of the night.
How is lake-effect snow formed?
As the cold air flows over the warm lake water, the relatively warm water heats the air's bottom layer as lake moisture evaporates into the cold air. Since warm air is lighter or less dense than cold air, the heated air rises and begins to cool. As the air cools, the moisture that evaporated into it condenses and forms clouds and snow begins falling from the cloud if the air is humid enough. (Graphic Credit: USA TODAY.)

Lake-Effect SnowLake-Effect Snow
OneCold air moves over warm water and is warmed from below. Moisture evaporates in the air.TwoWarm moist air rises downwind of lakes and forms heavy snow.

What is a Nor'easter? Nor'easters can occur in the eastern United States any time between October and April, when moisture and cold air are plentiful. A Nor'easter is named for the winds that blow in from the northeast and drive the storm up the east coast along the Gulf Stream, a band of warm water that lies off the Atlantic coast. They are known for dumping heavy amounts of rain and snow, producing hurricane-force winds, and creating high surfs that cause severe beach erosion and coastal flooding.

What is an Alberta Clipper?
An Alberta clipper is an area of low pressure that generally forms over Alberta, Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains. They develop east of the Rockies because air flowing eastward over the mountains creates favorable conditions. Once an Alberta Clipper forms it usually moves very rapidly to the southeast across the USA's northern Plains and then to the east off the mid-Atlantic Coast. Clippers usually cause only light precipitation with very few producing major snowstorms. However, if conditions are favorable, some Alberta clippers can rapidly intensify off the East Coast once the storm taps the relatively warm moist air over the Atlantic Ocean. The storms that rapidly intensify sometimes spread heavy snow over New England and southeastern Canada. Generally, the main weather features associated with Alberta clippers are some light snow and a reinforcement of cold air over the USA.
Alberta Clipper

What is Wind Chill?

The wind chill is the temperature your body feels when the air temperature is combined with the wind speed. The higher the wind speed the faster exposed areas of your body lose heat and the colder you feel.
Windchill
Click Here to calculate the Wind Chill.

What is frostbite?
Frostbite is damage to the skin due to prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, usually below 32° F.
What is an avalanche?
An avalanche is a moving mass of snow that may contain ice, soil, rocks, and uprooted trees. The height of a mountain, the steepness of its slope, and the type of snow lying on it all help determine the likelihood of an avalanche. Avalanches begin when an unstable mass of snow breaks away from a mountainside and moves downhill. The growing river of snow picks up speed as it rushes down the mountain. Avalanches have been known to reach speeds of 245 miles an hour (394 kilometers per hour)—about four times as fast as the speediest downhill skier.

Avalanche
Click Here to learn more about Avalanche Saftey.

Snowflake Know the Lingo Snowflake
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES - Issued for accumulations of snow, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and sleet which will cause significant inconveniences and, if caution is not exercised, could lead to life-threatening situations. WINTER STORM WATCH - Alerts the public to the possibility of a blizzard, heavy snow, heavy freezing rain, or heavy sleet. Winter Storm Watches are usually issued 12 to 48 hours before the beginning of a winter storm.
WINTER STORM WARNING - Issued when hazardous winter weather in the form of heavy snow, heavy freezing rain, or heavy sleet is occurring. Winter Storm Warnings are usually issued 12 to 24 hours before the event is expected.
BLIZZARD WARNING - Issued for sustained or gusty winds of 35 mph or more, and falling or blowing snow creating visibilities at or below 1/4 mile. These conditions should persist for 3 hours.
FROST/FREEZE WARNING - Issued when below freezing temperatures are expected.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY - Issued when accumulation of lake effect snow will cause significant inconvenience.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING - Issued when heavy lake effect snow is occurring.
WIND CHILL ADVISORY - Issued when the wind chill temperature is forecast to be between -15°F to -24°F.
WIND CHILL WARNING - Issued when the wind chill temperature is forecast to be -25°F or lower.
Click Here to see if there are any active warnings in your area.

Snowflake Winter Storm Safety Tips Snowflake
BEFORE A WINTER STORM: Have a disaster plan and prepare a disaster supplies kit for your home and car. Include a first aid kit, emergency food supply, bottled water, battery-operated radio, flashlight, protective clothing, and blankets. Don't forget, be aware of changing weather.


DURING A WINTER STORM: Stay indoors and dress warmly. Eat regularly, because food provides the body with energy for producing its own heat. Also, drink lots of water. If you must go outside, wear layered clothing, mittens and a hat. Watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite. Remember to keep dry. Always change wet clothing to prevent the loss of body heat. If you must drive, carry a cell phone. Always, keep the gas tank full. Don't forget, let someone know where you’re going, just in case your car gets stuck. If you’re car gets stuck, stay with it and wait for help unless help is visible within 100 yards. Use maps and car mats to stay warm.

AFTER A WINTER STORM: Avoid driving until conditions have improved. Avoid overexertion! Heart attacks from shoveling snow are the leading cause of deaths during the winter. Also, check on neighbors to make sure they're okay.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Weather trivia

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]

February 5 is National Weather Persons' Day

Lovetoknow

Weather Trivia

Did you know:
  • It can be as warm as 40 degrees on the ground and still snow.
  • According to the "Guinness Book of World Records," the biggest snowflake on record occurred in Montana in 1887. It was eight inches by 15 inches.
  • The record for the most snow fall in a 24 hour period in the United States happened in Silver Lake, Colorado in 1921. During that 24 hour period, six feet and four inches of snow fell--which is the height of a very tall man!
  • While you may have heard someone say, "It's too cold to snow," there is no truth to this. Snow can always fall if it is cold out and there is moisture in the air.
  • The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128 degrees. The temperature was measured on Antarctica in 1983.
  • Every snowflake has six sides.
  • The Abominable Snowman is more than an invention of a television Christmas special. While there is no proof that it exists, many people believe that the Yeti, or an abominable snowman, lives in the Himalayas in Nepal. The word Yeti means snow bear, and many people believe the Yeti is related to Bigfoot.

Monday, January 21, 2019

Black History Month


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

Black History Month can be tricky for those with dementia because some folks with dementia are predjudiced and can say some not so nice things about African Americans.

The other factor is that there can be a number of African American CNAs taking care of people with dementia in a long term care facility.

Celebrating or at least recognizing Black History Month may be a way to break down some of these barriers.

However, understand that if an African American caregiver upsets or causes agitation in a person with dementia, get a different caregiver. Realize however before jumping to any conclusions that it may not be the color of the caregivers skin that is upsetting the person with dementia, but rather it may be the caregiver.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Chinese Fortunes



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]


Chinese Zodiac uses 12 animal signs to predict people's fortune. The twelve animals are Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. The 12 Chinese zodiac signs are determined by people's birth year. Most of Internet Chinese horoscope sites use Chinese New Year Day to determine the Chinese zodiac sign, which is wrong.
The first day of the Chinese astrological year is the first day of the Rabbit Month (Start of Spring). The Tiger Month begins around February 4, each year. If you were born before February 7, then you should check Your Chinese Zodiac Sign first before reading your Chinese zodiac 2016. The simplest way to prove Chinese zodiac signs not determined by Chinese New Year days is to see your Chinese Astrology Birth Chart using your birthday and birth time.

Besides using astrology animal signs basic fighting and attraction relationships, Chinese zodiac also uses Chinese astrology constellations, which are the way ancient Chinese grouped the stars in the sky, to predict the coming fortune. More than 100 stars are using in the Chinese zodiac. The common use ones are about 60. Each star has a different characteristics. Basically, they can be divided into Lucky Stars and Unlucky Stars, which are the major factors to predict people good or bad luck in the coming year.

Personalities
Chinese zodiac signs represent twelve different types of personalities. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat, and there are many stories about the origins of the Chinese Zodiac which explain why this is so (see below). The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order and their characteristics.[1]

Rat (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water): Forthright, tenacious, systematic, meticulous, charismatic, sensitive, hardworking, industrious, charming, eloquent, sociable, artistic, shrewd. Can be manipulative, vindictive, mendacious, venal, selfish, obstinate,critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, intolerant, scheming.

Ox (Water buffalo in Vietnam) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water): Dependable, calm, methodical, born leader, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

Tiger (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, generous. Can be restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish, aggressive, unpredictable.

Rabbit (Cat in Vietnam) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Luckiest of all, Gracious, good friend, kind, sensitive, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough, tender, self-assured, shy, astute, compassionate, flexible. Can be moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic, stubborn.

Dragon (Snail in Kazakhstan) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, zealous, eccentric, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, ambitious, artistic, generous, loyal. Can be tactless, arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding, intolerant, dogmatic, violent, impetuous, brash.

Snake (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Deep thinker, wise, mystic, graceful, soft-spoken, sensual, creative, prudent, shrewd, ambitious, elegant, cautious, responsible, calm, strong, constant, purposeful. Can be loner, bad communicator, possessive, hedonistic, self-doubting, distrustful, mendacious, suffocating, cold.

Horse (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, changeable, earthy, perceptive, talkative, agile - mentally and physically, magnetic, intelligent, astute, flexible, open-minded. Can be fickle, arrogant, childish, anxious, rude, gullible, stubborn.

Ram (Goat in Vietnam) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, mothering, determined, peaceful, generous, seeks security. Can be moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer, weak-willed.

Monkey (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Inventor, motivator, improviser, quick-witted, inquisitive, flexible, innovative, problem solver, self-assured, sociable, artistic, polite, dignified, competitive, objective, factual, intellectual. Can be egotistical, vain, selfish, reckless, snobbish, deceptive, manipulative, cunning, jealous, suspicious.

Rooster (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Acute, neat, meticulous, organized, self-assured, decisive, conservative, critical, perfectionist, alert, zealous, practical, scientific, responsible. Can be over zealous and critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, opinionated, given to empty bravado.

Dog (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, sense of justice and fair play, attractive, amicable, unpretentious, sociable, open-minded, idealistic, moralistic, practical, affectionate, sensitive, easy going. Can be cynical, lazy, cold, judgmental, pessimistic, worrier, stubborn, quarrelsome.

Pig (Wild boar in Japan and Elephant in Northern Thailand) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water): Honest, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, hard-working, trusting, sincere, calm, understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, intelligent. Can be naïve, over-reliant, self-indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.

More Chinese New Year information

Thursday, January 17, 2019

How to make a football pool for the Super Bowl

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

A football pool is a fun way to get everyone involved in the super bowl game.  Be sure to include that you’ll be doing a pool in your football party invitations.  The most common type of betting pool one displayed on a 10 x 10 grid with numbers along both the top and left side of the page.  You can sell the squares for any amount you wish.  $1.00 per square is a typical amount.  This puts $100 in the pool.
The object of this pool is to have the combination of number that match the last numbers in the score of the game. Payouts are based on the score of each team at the end of each quarter. Please note that the digit used is always the second number. For example, if a team has 17 points at the end of the quarter, the 7 is used to determine the winner. You can make the payouts equal for each quarter, but it is also common to have a larger payout for the end of the game.

Things You’ll Need:

  • Television- to watch the game of course!
  • Colored Pens
  • Construction Paper
  • Permanent Markers
  • Poster Boards
  • Colored pens
  • Permanent markers

Making the Grid:

Step 1: Get pens and a large piece of blank paper.
Step 2: Draw a 10-by-10 grid.
Step 3: Write the numbers 0 through 9 across the top, above each square.
Step 4: Write the numbers 0 through 9 along the left side of the grid, next to each square.
Step 5: Write one Super Bowl team’s name at the top and the other on the left side.
Step 6: Sell each square for one unit, which will provide a 100-unit payoff. Players may want to acquire more than one square; it’s best to use all squares.
Step 7: Write the initials of the buyer in the corresponding square.
Final Step: As you Watch the game and enjoy the commercials,  match the last digit of each team’s final score with the grid to decide the winner. For example, a score of Team A 13, Team B 26, would mean finding the square where 3 on the vertical scale meets 6 on the horizontal. If Mike chose the space where these two numbers meet, he’s the winner.  Remember you can also do this at the end of each quarter or at half time and the final score.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Super Bowl Facts for Activities




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]

NFL.com

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the autumn of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15, 1967, following the regular season played in 1966, while Super Bowl XLVI will be played on February 5, 2011, to determine the champion of the 2011 regular season.
The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions.
The day on which the Super Bowl is played is now considered a de facto American national holiday,[1][2][3] called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.[4] In most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast; Super Bowl XLVII played in February 2013 between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers may become the most-watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 106.5 million viewers and taking over the spot held for twenty-seven years by the final episode of M*A*S*H.[5] The Super Bowl final is among the most watched sporting events in the world, primarily due to mostly North American audiences, and is second to the UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide.
Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast's commercials has become a significant aspect of the event.[6] In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event's pre-game and halftime ceremonies because of the exposureThoughts from a fan
The Super Bowl is the single greatest sporting event that any fan can aspire to watch.
The Super Bowl is more than a game, it’s more than a World Championship, it’s a full on NFL
experience.
The game itself is indescribable.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Ground Hog's Day Activity


\\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

Play with shadows using your hands and a bright light. A portable lamp or a flashlight will do.

Shine the light on your hands or resident's hands so that the shadow of their hands falls on a smooth surface like a wall or table. Invite all to move their hand closer to the light and farther away from the light. Notice what happens to the shadow.

Have them turn their hands in different ways to see how the shape of the shadow changes



This can be a fun activity for those with dementia.

Friday, January 11, 2019

National Activity Professionals Week

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

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

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Celebrate Activity Professionals Week, January 20-26, 2019. Every day, your activity staff members enrich the lives of those you serve throughout the year and promote the well being of everyone in your facility.

More Information about National Activity Professionals Week


It is www.thenaap.com for more information about the activity profession.
Linda Amoroso
Linda Amoroso, ADC
Public Relations Trustee

Greetings from the National Association of Activity Professionals
We would like to thank you for your interest in celebrating National Activity Professionals
Week, 

Our hope that this packet will help as you design exiting programs to enrich the lives of those
you serve and enlighten those you work along side of!! NAP week was created to recognize
the contributions of Activity Professionals in all adult communities. It is a chance for us as
Activity Professionals to shine our light.
This year, we are enclosing theme programming information which will hopefully give you
some ideas not just for this week but the rest of the year as well. Included a letter addressed to
Administrators that you can share to remind them to honor the activity department as an
important part of your community’s team. Samples of proclamations, press releases & public
service announcements, for the week are included. You can also find more information on the
Web site. Take the time now to plan for this very special event!
If we can assist you with further information, please contact the NAAP Office at (865) 429-
0717 or fax us at (865) 453-9914.
Visit the Web site

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Celebrating Martin Luther King Day with 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]


Even folks with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will remember Martin Luther King Jr.


It is an excellent opportunity for you the caregiver, Activities Director, or other help care professional, to engage these dementia folks in a reminiscing activity about Martin Luther King Day and the importance of judging persons by their character.


Information Please


It took 15 years to create the federal Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Congressman John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday four days after King was assassinated in 1968. After the bill became stalled, petitions endorsing the holiday containing six million names were submitted to Congress.
Conyers and Rep. Shirley Chisholm, Democrat of New York, resubmitted King holiday legislation each subsequent legislative session. Public pressure for the holiday mounted during the 1982 and 1983 civil rights marches in Washington.
Congress passed the holiday legislation in 1983, which was then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. A compromise moving the holiday from Jan. 15, King's birthday, which was considered too close to Christmas and New Year's, to the third Monday in January helped overcome opposition to the law.


A number of states resisted celebrating the holiday. Some opponents said King did not deserve his own holiday—contending that the entire civil rights movement rather than one individual, however instrumental, should be honored. Several southern states include celebrations for various Confederate generals on that day. Arizona voters approved the holiday in 1992 after a tourist boycott. In 1999, New Hampshire changed the name of Civil Rights Day to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.




Read more: Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkhistory1.html#ixzz1AZmMmWid


Do not forget it is National Activity Professionals Week

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Elvis Presley

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]

Elvis' birthday is January 8

Elvis Presley was the first real rock and roll star. A white southerner who singing blues laced with country and country tinged with gospel, Presley brought together music from both sides of the color line. Presley performed this music with a natural hip swiveling sexuality that made him a teen idol and a role model for generations of cool rebels. Presley was repeatedly dismissed as vulgar, incompetent and a bad influence. However the force of his music and image signaled to the mainstream culture it was time for a change


Entering the fifth grade, Presley is asked by his teacher, Oleta Grimes to enter a talent contest on children's day at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. At the age of ten, dressed in a cowboy suit, and standing on a chair to reach the microphone. Presley's rendition of Red Foley's "Old Shep" won second place, a $5 prize and a free ticket to all the rides. On his birthday the following January heelvistupelo.jpg (3998 bytes) received a guitar purchased from Tupelo Hardware Store. Over the next year, Vernon's brother Johnny Smith and Assembly of Good pastor Frank Smith. gave him basic guitar lessons
In 1948 after losing another job Vernon moved the family to Memphis. Glady's brothers get him a job at the Precision Tool Company and the Presleys moved into a small apartment at 370 Washington Street for $11 a week. On September 13 Elvis enrolls at L.C. Humes High School. 

Toward the end of his life he would babble incoherently on stage and rip his pants, having grown quite obese, and at least once collapsed on stage. Despite deteriorating health, Presley maintained a frantic tour schedule, because in 1973 Colonel Parker negotiated a deal with RCA to the rights of many of his masters in exchange for a lump sum payment of which only 2.8 million came to him. After 1973, Parker was earning nearly 50% commission. Worse yet Presley wasn't earning royalties on records recorded before 1973, although they continued to sell millions. Presley opposed tax shelters on principle; naively relied on his father for business advice; gave away expensive gifts and cash. The result was by the mid-Seventies was an impending financial disaster.

June 26, 1977 Presley performed live for the last time in Indianapolis. On August 16, 1977, the day before his next scheduled concert, Presley was discovered by his girlfriend Ginger Alden dead in his bathroom at Graceland. His death was attributed to congestive heart failure. A later autopsy revealed advanced hardening of the arteries and an enlarged liver. Later it was determined that drug abuse may have been a contributing factor. in September 1979 Presley's private doctor Dr. George Nichopoulos was charged by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners with indiscriminately prescribing 5,300 and vials in the seven months before his death. He was later acquitted

More than thirty years after his death, Elvis Presley remains indelibly etched in to the American psyche. As the Elvis of myth – an embodiment of the American Dream in the flesh- has become synonymous with Elvis the man, the subject of countless books, articles and songs, it has become increasingly hard to discern who Elvis really was

Thursday, January 3, 2019

January is hot tea month

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

Have a tea party and use these tea facts for a discussion

January is hot tea month. There is no question about the popularity of tea as it is the most consumed liquid in the world after water. There are many varieties as herbal, green, black, white, red, oolong…, but which ones offer the most benefit and nutrition?

Teas such as black, white, green and oolong come from a plant called Camellia sinensis. The leaves, used for tea, contain polyphenols which are a anti-cancer antioxidants. The way you can tell if a tea is processes is that it will become very dark. The white and green teas are the least processed. The white tea comes from the very young spring leaves that are steamed very quickly. Still all the teas mentioned at the first part of this paragraph contain polyphenols. Many people don’t realize that these teas rank as high (sometimes higher) than fresh fruits and vegetables in antioxidant potential.

Many teas that we refer to as herbal teas are not even teas, but plant infusions made from herbs, flowers, roots and spices. The “herbal teas” do not generally contain caffeine. However, the other teas do. Yet, it is less cup for cup of coffee. 40 mg of caffeine is contained in the average cup of tea as opposed to coffee which has 85 mg. If you must have sweetener in your tea, try raw honey which will give you many health benefits as opposed to white sugar or even processed honey.