Sunday, June 24, 2012

How to get into the head of a person with dementia

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]

Aging Care


Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree to come from the University of Minnesota and wondered why it was taking so long. I did what I usually did, and waited a few days to see if this episode of delusion thinking would pass. It did not. So, I went to my computer and designed a medical degree with my dad's name on it, scribbled some "signatures" on the bottom, put it in a mailing envelope and brought it to him, in the nursing home, the following day. He was delighted.
I added it to the other awards and degrees hanging on the wall; the entomology "degree," his legitimate college degree, some other earned awards, an "award" for helping direct Lawrence Welk's band. The wall was cluttered with the real and the fake, but I knew I would need to find room for more. Dad's brain would tell him he had earned something and eventually I would need to produce it.
Dad had, indeed, gone to medical school at the University of Minnesota, but that was before World War II. He took some time off to be an archaeologist and then the war broke out. During maneuvers in the Mohave Desert, Dad passed out from the heat. He smacked his head against the baked desert floor and sustained a closed head injury. He was in a coma for months and had to learn to walk and talk again. He succeeded, and stayed in the army until the war ended, but kept Stateside and trained as a sanitarian.
Dad became director of Sanitation for the city of Fargo, meanwhile raising a family and, like so many returning soldiers, he went back to school. He attended school at night and worked during the day.  I remember going to his college graduation. I was 14. Dad continued taking any graduate classes that would help his work or simply because they interested him, and he became very successful in the world of public heath.
As Dad aged, fluid started building up behind the scar tissue in his brain. He had surgery to drain that fluid, but the surgery backfired and he came out of it with severe dementia – and bonded with a voice in his head we came to call Herman.
That is when reality changed for all of us.


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Why is there no cure for cancer or dementia

Click image to enlarge
Why We Haven't Cured Cancer
Via: MedicareSupplementalInsurance.com

Activities directors,other healthcare professionals, and care givers above is some information you will find most interesting.


Many of the patients, clients and loved ones you care for each and everyday may have cancer. Why has no cure for all cancers been found. The answer is there are so many different types.


Advances have been madw for sure. But we sure have a long way to go.


Not surprising, the same can be said for dementia except the curing process started later. 


But for both more research is the answer and then maybe we will see absolute cures for both these disease catagories

Friday, June 8, 2012

Paying for advanced education



Healthcare professionals and others, here is some information you will find useful.

Do you want to advance your career? Do you want to learn more about activities for people with dementia?
The cost of college keeps rising. People are willing to pay the high cost of an education.

How can you get a handle on the cost of an education? Do you have a university in mind that will help you get a student loan you will need to pay for your education? Southern New Hampshire University  has wonderful programs and knowledgeable professionals who will help you navigate the financial process and will help you to pick courses that will match your needs



More about engaging those with Alzheimers or another dementia in music

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]

Barbara Jacobs suggests this formula for success

When conducting a music program, here are some activity suggestions to consider:
  1. Visit your local music store to find CDs from the 1930s through the 1950s. Songs should be familiar, such as songs from the period when the clients were teens or young adults. Favorite popular artists, Broadway shows such as South Pacific and Oklahoma, and works of composers like George Gershwin are but a few possibilities. (Please note that with the aging of the baby boomers, one should be aware of changing musical tastes as tomorrow's older adults gradually shift more towards Elvis and the Beatles).
  2. There are many ready-made sing-along DVD and video resources available at Amazon.com and found in senior product catalogs such as S&S Worldwide (1-800-243-9232) and Sea Bay Games (1-800-568-0188).
  3. Your public library is another wonderful resource where you can borrow musical CDs or DVDs of an opera or familiar Broadway show.
  4. If you play an instrument and want to have a sing-along, play it at a slower pace and in a lower key. You can obtain lyrics from the Internet and print them out in an enlarged typeface.
  5. Create a soothing atmosphere by playing classical CDs such as Mozart and Chopin, or tune the radio to a classical music station. (Note: Playing any kind of music for longer than one hour at a time can contribute to agitation. Give participants a 20 minute break from the music before continuing.)
  6. Add singing and humming to your daily activities and encourage clients to join you in singing. Your participation in musical activities is bound to lift your spirits too.