4th of July symbols

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Celebrate America

Symbols

The Fourth of July is a patriotic holiday and people often display patriotic symbols. .

Liberty Bell	The Spirit of '76
The U.S. Flag	“Don't Tread on Me” Flag
Great Seal of the United States (Front)	Great Seal of the United States (Back)
Uncle Sam	Statue of Liberty

Mount Rushmore Day is coming in March

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Mount Rushmore Day is celebrated in March . Here are some facts to discuss with your residents

Here are a some Mount Rushmore facts for inquiring minds

• Borglum was 60 years old when he began working on the monument.
• Rushmore's granite faces tower over 5,500 feet above sea level.
• The carvings are scaled to men who would stand 465 feet tall.
• Each President's head is as tall as a six-story building.
• Over 800 million pounds of stone was removed from Mount Rushmore during the construction.
• Imagine climbing 506 steps to reach the top of Mount Rushmore-this was how many steps the workers had to climb each day!
• The president's noses are 20 feet long, their mouths 18 feet wide, and their eyes are 11 feet across!
• Did you know that Gutzon Borglum was a student of renowned French artist Auguste Rodin, and was one of America's most successful artists before even considering Mount Rushmore? His Mares of Diomedes was the first American work purchased by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also has 5 statues on display at the U.S. Capitol Building.
• Here is an astonishing fact: no deaths occurred during the whole period of carving, just a few minor injuries.
• Can you imagine that with all the dynamite used?
• 
  

Learn more about Mount Rushmore with a Mount Rushmore Tour.

Prevent dementia apathy

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• Based on the article by Victoria M. Indivero for Penn State.

Apathy strikes 90% of people with dementia, sooner or later. Faster decline and care problems result. Proper stimulation makes all the difference. Learn why. 

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People with dementia are less likely to be apathetic if they live in an appropriately stimulating environment, according to nursing researchers.

According to a report by The Centers for Disease Control, about half the people in nursing homes have dementia. 90% of them experience apathy at some point, one of the most common neurobehavioral symptoms in dementia. Those with mild dementia will decline more quickly into severe dementia if they also suffer from apathy. 

A stimulating environment made all the difference in this revealing study of 5 factors. Specifically, moderate stimulation did the most to lift people out of their apathy, while none or too much made it worse.

Help Them Stay Engaged

Ying-Ling Jao, assistant professor of nursing, Penn State, identified 4 negative consequences of apathy in dementia:

1. Persons with dementia who are also apathetic won't be curious about the world around them;
2. They are not motivated to carry out activity nor engage with those around them, in either a positive or a negative way.
3. The individuals' cognitive function will likely decline faster.
4. Caregivers will have more difficulty with their caregiving and are more likely to become depressed.

Jao observed 40 nursing home residents with dementia. She watched videos of each taken throughout a typical day. Three videos were chosen for each resident from recordings made during a previous study:

• One taken at a mealtime,
• One during a direct interaction between the resident and staff
• One that was randomly selected.

Jao reports her results in The Gerontologist. She said,

'The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between environmental characteristics and apathy in long-term care residents with dementia. My interest in apathy was mainly driven by my clinical observations in nursing homes when I was a nurse practitioner student. I remember that no matter which nursing home I visited, I often saw a crowd of residents sitting in the living room or hallway with no interest in the surroundings and no emotional expression.'

5 Influences on Apathy in Dementia

Jao zoomed in on five key characteristics that affect the quality of life in nursing homes:

1. Environmental stimulation
2. Ambiance
3. Crowding
4. Staff familiarity
5. Light and sounds.

Of the five, clear and strong environmental stimulation associated most strongly with lower apathy in residents. This means an environment without competing background noise, and with a single straightforward stimulus. A good example is music therapy in a quiet room. A strong stimulus is intense, persistent, interesting and out of the ordinary. Even routine activities, such as a regular conversation or meal, count as moderate stimulation. A birthday party is considered strong simulation. 

Strong Stimulation, No Stimulation, Overwhelming Stimulation

Assistant Professor Jao said, 

'Interestingly, our results showed that clear and , dementia viewsstrong environmental stimulation is related to lower apathy, while no stimulation or an overwhelming environment with no single clear stimulation is related to higher apathy.'

'One of the innovative features of this study is that we used the Person-Environment Apathy Rating scale to measure environmental stimulation at an individual level. I believe that the same stimulation may be perceived differently or bring about different responses for different individuals in the same environment based on the individual's characteristics, interests and relevance to the stimulation. In fact, a stimulus may be clear to one person but unclear to another because of differences in hearing or visual abilities, especially in older adults.'

'One of the most important implications of these findings is that they will guide us in designing appropriate physical and social environments for dementia care that helps prevent or decrease apathy. We need more people to care about apathy for older adults with dementia.'

Jao plans to continue this research by replicating the study with a larger sample size and by looking more closely at the quality of interaction and communication between nursing home residents and their caregivers. 

Source:

• Based on the article by Victoria M. Indivero for Penn State.

Reference:

1. Y.-L. Jao, D. L. Algase, J. K. Specht, K. Williams. The Association Between Characteristics of Care Environments and Apathy in Residents With Dementia in Long-term Care Facilities. The Gerontologist, 2015; 

Red Plates for Eating with Dementia

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Alzheimers and Dementia Weekly

MEALTIME: 

If you couldn’t see your mashed potatoes,  you probably wouldn’t eat them. That's why what "The Red Plate Study" found was astonishing! Alzheimer's patients eating from red plates consumed 25 percent more food than those eating from white plates. Find out why. 

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Boston University Biopsychologist Alice Cronin-Golomb and her research partners designed the “red plate study.” Their idea was to see whether seniors with advanced Alzheimer’s would eat more food from red plates than they did from white ones. The researchers in the Vision & Cognition Lab of the Center for Clinical Biopsychology, which Cronin-Golomb directs, had reason to hope that their experiment would succeed. 

Nursing home staff often complain that Alzheimer’s patients do not finish the food on their plates even when staff encourages them to do so. 40% of individuals with severe Alzheimer’s lose an unhealthy amount of weight. Previous explanations for this phenomenon included depression, inability to concentrate on more than one food at a time, and inability to eat unassisted. Cronin-Golomb and her colleagues took a different approach. They believed this behavior might be explained by the visual-cognitive deficiencies caused by Alzheimer’s. Patients with the disease cannot process visual data—like contrast and depth perception—as well as most other seniors.

So the research team tested advanced Alzheimer’s patients’ level of food intake with standard white plates and with bright-red ones. What they found was astonishing—patients eating from red plates consumed 25 percent more food than those eating from white plates.

Since these findings were published in 2004, some nursing homes have made red plates the norm. Private companies even market special red plates for seniors with visual impairment.

The CAS researchers’ approach to the problem of decreased functioning was what led to their breakthrough. Whereas many scientists look for drugs to treat degenerative cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, Cronin-Golomb and her team focus instead on finding visual aids that can improve patients’ quality of life. By assisting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients with their visual perception, the researchers actually are able to improve the subjects’ mental functioning.

Asks Cronin-Golomb,

“If the information getting into their brain through their eyes is already degraded, how can you expect them to do much with that?”

“If we can enhance how fast they are getting information in, then they can have a better shot at remembering it. For instance, we can improve their reading speed just by enhancing what they see.”

It is generally known that memory problems are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but many people don’t realize that vision problems can plague these patients as much as their mental challenges do.

Cronin-Golomb and her team put subjects through a battery of tests to determine their visual capabilities—visual psychophysics tests to look at contrast sensitivity, color discrimination, and depth perception; neuropsychological tests to examine object recognition, word reading, facial recognition, and pattern completion; and, finally, tests to determine whether the subjects perform better using visual aids, such as measuring cups with larger lettering. Once researchers understand each subject’s abilities, they can then assess how various visual aids improve a patient’s visual perception.

One experiment the team conducted was to test which shades of gray pills were easiest for subjects to pick out. Seniors commonly take multiple daily medications, but pill manufacturers often don’t take into account patients’ vision problems when choosing pill colors. The researchers found that with the right shade of gray, they could help patients more easily locate their medications.

The researchers also educate local caregivers for the elderly about how to use visual aids to improve patients’ functioning. Many of these caregivers are family members taking care of loved ones. Others are professional caregivers at day programs for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, as well as architects designing living spaces for older adults.

Team member and PhD candidate Tom Laudate recalls an encounter following his talk to a local caregiver support group.

“A woman came up to me and said that just the week before, her mother had been in the kitchen trying to pour milk into a mug. The mug was white, the milk was white, and the countertop was white. She poured milk all over the place, and it wasn’t until the daughter heard me talk that it clicked in her mind and she understood her mother’s vision problem. It’s a great feeling to be able to give some information to someone that can make a difference. It’s not huge; we are not solving Alzheimer’s, but we are helping people in their daily lives.”

Cronin-Golomb’s goal is not only to train others; she is also driven by a personal connection to, and respect for, the elderly. While some people stigmatize Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and approach them with a sense of dread, she recognizes that the elderly, including some of her test subjects, are full of vitality.

“I love working with Parkinson’s patients,” she says. “It is probably from my background. My grandma lived upstairs from me. She had all these brothers, sisters, and cousins, and they’d play these really competitive games of pinochle. So they weren’t doting old people. This gave me the idea of old people as very vivacious, and only later did I come across the attitude that old people are slow and frail.”

Amazon.com

SOURCE:
Jeremy Schwab
Boston University Arts & Sciences

Secret society of happy people holiday gift

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Use now and save for next year

sshp

Simplify the Holidays Get Happier  Hello   Here are worksheets that Pam tweaked to create a holiday gift foe you: 5 Ways to Simplify Your Holidays e-Workbook. It's full of ideals and tips to help get organized so you'll have more time for holiday happy. Use the sheets that are pirtinent to you and ignore the rest. Also, they have great ideas on their  Pinterest Boards . Enjoy. Here's to a fun and happy holiday!!! 

You Can Also Connect With them! Pamela Gail Johnson Founder Secret Society of Happy People

Secret Society of Happy People, 425 Busher Drive, Lewisville, TX 75067, USA

Farmer story for those with dementia

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parentingspecialneeds.org

The Puppy – A Story from Chicken Soup for the Soul

BY JACK LEVINE

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard.  As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy”Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off, The Puppy, farmer the back of his neck, “These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.”

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got 89 cents. Is that enough at least to take a look?”

“Sure,” said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. “Here, Dolly!” he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.

Slowly another little fur ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then the little pup began awkwardly wobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up. “I want that one,” the little boy said, quickly pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.”

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.  Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

“How much?” asked the little boy.  “No charge,” answered the farmer, “There’s no charge for love and understanding.”

Like that special puppy, the world is full of people who need someone who understands.

As an advocate, I’m dedicated to assist those whose mission is creating better policies and more accessible programs to meet the needs of those who count on us, across the generations.

Why socializing may delay dementia

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A recently concluded five-year study of a thousand initially healthy seniors yielded some remarkably upbeat findings.

 Go to church, volunteer for a charity, have lunch with friends – in other words, get out of the house and interact with your neighbors – and you’re 50 percent more likely to ward off signs of dementia. For the most socially active seniors, the ones getting out of the house all the time and doing more for and with others, the statistics are even better. They are 75 percent more likely to fight off mental impairments.

Whether or not the findings of this study stand the test of scrutiny, it is always a good idea to heed what Christ Jesus saw as the two great commandments. The second of the two is perhaps especially applicable here: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:31).
True, neighbor-to-neighbor love might, on the surface, appear as pretty casual – a friendly chat over the back fence, the get-together of a few friends for a barbecue, or a neighborly game of cards. Beneath those superficial niceties, however, is the truth of that second commandment. It goes deeper and involves harnessing thought to a holy purpose, to a healing action.
Living real neighborly love at times pushes an individual beyond his or her comfort zone, while fulfilling that holy purpose and meeting that neighbor’s need. One might, for instance, seek out practical ways to buttress someone’s hope that they are not forgotten, that life has not passed them by, that unhappy events have not drained their life of meaning.
Both the giver and the receiver of second-commandment-impelled actions are blessed. Both parties may even feel as if they’ve reaped a spiritual bonus – that hopeful feeling of having done something good for another. The defeating of old limitations and the winning of new freedoms is furthered.
One characteristic of various mental afflictions is their claim to march on unopposed, as if no power could halt them. Look at that claim closely though, and you realize it is a bid – albeit an unsuccessful one – to break the first commandment. It is a bid to pass itself off as all-powerful. But wait! Just because the carnal mind claims a disease has power does not make it a valid claim.
Look at what Jesus said of the first commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30). There is one God. One ever-active Mind and Life. One power that is pure Spirit, and one creation that is purely spiritual. Your role is to love the one true God. Then the delusion that there are other powers begins to loosen, eventually to fall away entirely.
Consider a few truths that originate in the Mind that is God, and that abide at the core of your being – the truths of your spiritual clarity and focus; of your inerasable vitality and recall; of your God-given capacity for crisp and clear reasoning. These are native to who you truly are as the idea of pure Mind, the expression of unfading Life.
When you are out of the house and socializing with friends, it’s a great time to realize these spiritual truths. When you are in the house and alone, it’s another great time to realize them. Each spiritual truth lets in the light. The right resolve to remain active and alert comes into focus.
Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy, because of the extraordinary demands on her time, had little opportunity for an active social life, especially during her later years. Yet she remained keenly active, purposeful, and alert all the way through a long and uniquely productive career. (For instance, for several years she gave a free pair of shoes to each needy child in her community.) Her primary work, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” has been the cornerstone to the prayers of countless readers, many of whom have sought, and found, freedom from a whole range of mental impairments.
Whether the book is new to you, or you come to it as an old friend, here is a passage to launch you, or launch you anew, on your journey to see healing for yourself, a loved one, or a neighbor. A marginal heading next to the passage announces it’s about “Immortal memory.” The passage itself reads, “If delusion says, ‘I have lost my memory,’ contradict it. No faculty of Mind is lost. In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness” (Science and Health, p. 407).
With this, the haze retreats. Your God-bestowed capacities come into sharper focus. Healing dawns.
From an editorial in the Christian Science Sentinel.

CEUs

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Do you need a few more CEUs for your upcoming license renewal? Do you know anyone else who might?   This week we're offering 1 free CEU online with the purchase of any other course on  your trusted source for NAB approved continuing education.   Get your FREE CEU    Click this link, easyceu -     Checkout using promo code: SUMMERCEU    Please feel free to forward this offer to your colleagues, social worker, and any other licensed professional who may need NAB approved continuing education.

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Foods that keep you happy

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Buzzle

 

10 Foods that Keep You Happy

Chocolate
One of my favorite anti-stress foods. I think everyone in this world loves chocolates. People are just looking for excuses to have a bite. Chocolates contain anadamine, a chemical that makes us cheerful. Scientists believe that other components in chocolate help anadamine to stay longer in the brain. The sugar content boosts our levels of glucose and endorphins (another hormone which makes us happy). Don't have chocolate in excess though.

Salmon
Salmon fish is a sea of omega-3 essential fatty acids which are regarded as one of the top antidepressants in the world. No one is quite sure how it works. But according to a recent research it has been found out that, people who consume omega-3 fatty acids daily, are always in a good mood than others. Other fish which have similar effects like salmon are mackerel, eel, and tuna. All of these are also known to fight symptoms of depression, persistent pessimism and erectile dysfunction.

Bananas
I have always heard the phrase the "mighty banana" from my mother and trust me, it is. Banana has tryptophan, a protein when consumed is converted into serotonin by the body. Most of us know that serotonin is directly associated with cheerfulness. Bananas also contains carbohydrates and high levels of potassium which are good for our body. Health experts believe that banana is one of the most healthiest foods. So, include a banana in your daily diet.

Rice, Bread, Noodles or Pasta
Carbohydrates, a favorite with many. Following all these low carb diets will make you thin, but trust me they are going to pull the life out of you. Eating carbohydrates increases serotonin levels in our body which has a calming effect. Choose healthier carbohydrates like brown rice, noodles, wheat bread and vegetables. These are some of the few healthy foods that fill you up.

Bake Potato
Heat one of these high energy potatoes and it will improve your concentration to a high extent. Have baked potato with salsa and low sodium salt. This is a great snack before going for a heavy workout. It gives you the energy that lasts.

Beans and Soybeans
Beans are filled with soluble fiber, folic acid and omega-3 fats, these three ingredients work best to make your mood cheerful. Beans are also an excellent source of iron and calcium which increases the number of blood cells in the body. Soy products contain genistein which helps in preventing prostate and breast cancer. You can also have soy milk and taho, they are also excellent sources of fiber which keep you healthy and happy.

Fresh Peas
Yes fresh green peas are also one of the healthy foods that make you happy. Peas contain high amounts of folate, a nutrient which helps body to produce serotonin. You can buy fresh frozen peas for your food, but avoid the canned ones as they have a minimal quantity of nutrients left. Peas are very easily included in salads and various other gravies.

Milk or Skim Milk
Milk and milk products are rich in tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid which is needed by our brain to develop serotonin which helps us stay calm and cheerful. Milk also contains antioxidants, vitamin D and vitamin B12 that helps us brain to fight stress and old age. You can also go for skimmed milk, it makes you happy and is rich in calcium.

Spinach
It's Popeye's favorite food. So, if you want to be strong and powerful like Popeye, have spinach. It is rich in folic acid which helps body to make serotonin which gives your body a feel good factor. Most kids don't like it but it's very necessary that spinach becomes a part of their diet. Eat a cup of cooked spinach to help you feel strong and full of positivity to face the world.

Blueberries
Blueberries are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, which are also well-known stress busters. Antioxidants help eliminate free radicals (toxins) which keep moving in our body. These free radicals cause us to age faster and harm our internal organs. Blueberries are packed with fiber which aids in good digestion. Some scientists also believe that blueberries and strawberries also prevent cancer.

So, these were some of the healthy foods that make you happy. If you really want to find healthy foods that keep you happy, then you must stop focusing on junk food and eat such healthy foods that enlighten your mind and make your day bright. Believe me, the above mentioned foods can cheer you up. Just add them to your daily diet and you will see the effects in a short span of time

Are you from a happy state

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What is this all about?, you ask.Be sure to read the January 2014 edition of Activity Director Today

In December 2005, we requested proclamations for the 5th Annual Hunt for Happiness Week, Jan. 15 – 21, 2006, from 46 governors. We did not have Happy Proclamation Coordinators in Arkansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont.
If you didn’t like your governor’s response, feel free to tell them. And, if you are happy with your governor’s response, please tell them! (That’s what the Society is all about). If we don’t get a proclamation this year, we’ll ask again next year.
“Happy Governors (proclamation issued)Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell  (See the proclamation)
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
Maine Gov. John Baldacci
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman   (See a picture)
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski   (Text of proclamation)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry
Unhappy Governors (no proclamation issued)Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen
No Response YetAlabama Gov. Bob Riley
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens
Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle
Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack
Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco
Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt RoomeyMississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (601) 359-3150Nevada Gov. Kenny GuinnNew Hampshire Gov. John LynchNew Jersey Gov. Richard J. CodeyNew York Gov. George E. Pataki
North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner(804) 786-2211

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal