What's My Line-An Activity for Labor Day

What's My Line?

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is a game for those with dementia and other long term care residents

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]

The first Monday in September is Labor Day, a perfect time to talk about former jobs of residents. You can play a game called “What My Line?” 

First discuss former occupations of the audience members. Include answers to the following questions in your discussion of each job.
For lower functioning groups, discuss one or two occupations. Then have the audience guess the occupation of the mystery guest. 
What’s My Line?
Suggested questions
Do you work inside?
Do you provide a service?
Do you wear a uniform?
Do you sit while you work?
Do you travel when you work?
Do you use your hands while you work?
Do you use tools while you work?
Do you entertain people while you work?
Do you work with other people?
Do you take care of other people?

Review the answers with the audience for a more successful outcome.

You can play this game many different ways depending on the abilities of your audience.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section.

Watermelon trivia

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


Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, here are some watermelon facts that you can use for Watermelon trivia

Watermelon Day is in the beginning of August

History and Facts:

Florida ranks number one nationally in the production of watermelons, accounting for 37.9 percent of the nation's sales in 1992.
Nutritional Value:
Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C, and is also a good source of vitamin A and potassium. Watermelon is also a good source of dietary fiber, aiding in digestion.


Storage:

Watermelons should be stored in temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees fahrenheit, with a relative humidity of 90 percent. Lower temperatures may subject melons to chill injury. Typical shelf life is 14 to 21 days.


MORE WATERMELON FACTS

Watermelons are native to southern Africa, but have been known in India since prehistoric times, and in Egypt for 6,000 years.
In 1939 seedless watermelon was developed by treating the unpollinated flowers of watermelons with a specific acid, which resulted in the seedless watermelon.
Cordele, Georgia claims to be the Watermelon Capital of the


WATERMELON SEEDS

The world record for watermelon seed spitting is held by Jack Dietz of Chicago, who launched a seed a distance of 66 feet 11 inches in March 1989.


MORE FACTS
Watermelon contains high amounts of lycopene, the stuff that makes it red. Lycopene is good for you, and helps prevent heart disease.
-Watermelon has many vitamins, including A and C.
-Watermelon grows mainly in the summer and fall, but it can be grown year-round. -The U.S. ranks 3rd in watermelon production.
~It’s a great time to put watermelon on your menu! Did you know that a serving of watermelon has only 80 calories and no fat? It is also low in sodium and high in vitamin C.
-There are about 50 varieties of watermelons throughout the United States, classified into four general categories: Allsweet, Ice box, Seedless and Yellow Flesh.
-The average watermelon weighs about 20 pounds yielding 70% edible product and 30% rind.
-In today’s global market, top quality melons are available year-round, and are especially plentiful during their peak season April through October.
-As a rule, a good quality watermelon is firm and symmetrical and feels heavy for its size.
-Flesh should have a firm texture, bright color and minimal white streaks.
-Seeded varieties should have fully mature, hard seeds.
-A ripe melon has a creamy white or yellowish underside where the fruit rested on the ground: the rind has a healthy sheen.
-Watermelon should be ripe upon arrival. Once picked, their sugar content does not increase.
-Compared to most fruits, watermelons need a more “tropical” climate…a thermometer reading Of 55 degrees F is ideal.
-Whole melons will keep for 7 to 10 days at room temperature. Store them too long, and they will lose flavor and texture.
You can discuss obvious facts like color, shape, size, hardness, juiciness etc.

Top ten, 4th of July, activities for those with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

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


Author and dementia healthcare professional,Susan Berg, suggests ways to enjoy the holiday with dementia folks that are stress and failure free.

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here are some easy, yet fun things to do on or near the 4th of July together

I cannot believe the 4th of July is here
Here are some easy, yet fun things to do on or near the 4th of July together

10. Arrange flowers real of fake. You can use red, white and blue flowers to make the bouquet or centerpiece look patriotic.

9. Plan a picnic or a party from beginning to end

8. Have a picnic perhaps using the ideas from your plans. If the person with dementia does not want to go outside, no problem, have the picnic inside.

7. Go to the beach or the park. Go at off times to avoid the crowd. You can always go on different day. Again if you fear a negative reaction to going to the beach, bring the beach to your home. Get some sand, sea shells and other beach paraphernalia.

6 Have a small get together at home. Hire or have someone to assist the ADRD person.

5. Draw some patriotic pictures. You can use paints, magic markers or crayons. Fireworks are easy to draw.

4. Read a patriotic story or poem. Create your own story or poem.

3. Discuss a simple recipe. See how many ingredients you can name. Give hints as necessary. Make a simple dish together.

2. Watch a musical patriotic movie. Suggestions are: Yankee Doodle Dandy and Stars and Stripes Forever
They may have to be watched in segments depending on the attention span of the dementia person Watch the fireworks on TV.

1. Make a list of all the patriotic songs you know. Give hints to the impaired person as necessary. A good book for tips on how to do this is Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful,Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged,Their Loved Ones,and Involved Professionals Then listen to and sing these songs.

Remember all activities are person appropriate. Therefore knowing their likes and dislikes is helpful.
Also you must be flexible. If things do not go as planned, have a backup plan.

Finding strength in adversity

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

Former nursing home chaplain regains purpose, hope as patient

During the six years Don Weaver served as chaplain at Signature HealthCARE in Erin, he never dreamed his life would come full circle during the next few years and bring him back to the facility once more – this time as a patient.

His story is one of perseverance, struggles, and faith.

Born in 1968 with infantile cerebral palsy, Weaver remembers leading a pretty normal life, even though he walked on crutches for 33 years. He graduated from high school, married and fathered three children – Isaac, Andrew and Kayla Beth.
He attended church regularly and eventually became a minister.

He moved with his family to East Tennessee for awhile, where he had the opportunity to serve as assistant professor of a congregation and then pastor.
All in all, he said his life was pretty good.

Until 2003.

That year, he began to suffer with muscle spasms that were so bad he had to undergo surgery. His life plummeted into a downward spiral that would last five years, cost him his family and leave him alone, wheelchair bound and emotionally wrecked.

He described the scars as, “deep scars that are not only physical but mental, as well.”

Having given no hope of ever walking again, Weaver said that he felt he had lost his ability to be a husband and a father. It also affected his desire to attend church.
“I lost hope, quit trying, and I simply gave up,” he stated. “There for awhile, I lost everything. I gave up on God, gave up on life.”

He started drinking and his 17-year marriage collapsed. After his wife left, Don was able to get 24-hour nursing care at home until September 2008, when his benefits were cut.

Angry, depressed, unable to care for himself and unable to control some bodily functions, Weaver had no choice but to be admitted to Signature HealthCARE.
“I was not thrilled … to be 40 years old in a nursing home,” he said. “To be honest, it’s still tough for me, but I realize this is the best place for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t come here.”

After getting over the initial pains of being in a nursing home, Weaver began to work in physical therapy and little by little he began to believe in himself, and God, again. 

Lemonade - a refreshing summer drink for those with dementia

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals Did You Know that lemonade is a great drink for those with dementia. It tastes good, it is fum and easy to make and drinking it stimulates a person's appetite

Here is a link to a great lemonade recipe





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


Lemon facts and trivia
* The lemon originated in China
* Lemonade was a favorite of the Chinese Emperors
* Lemons made their way to the United States with the help of Catholic Missionaries and were planted in Arizona and California? Today they produce virtually all of the lemons consumed in the United States as well as about one-third of those used throughout the world
(source The Packer Produce Availability & Merchandising Guide, 1999).

Lemons are valued for their many uses in flavoring the food we eat, as a garnish, and for household purposes.

Selection
Lemons should be firm and have a bright yellow color. Avoid soft, shriveled lemons with spots. The best lemons will be fine textured and heavy for their size. Thin skinned fruit tends to have more juice, while fruit that has a greenish cast is likely to be more acidic. One medium lemon has about 3 tablespoons of juice and 3 tablespoons of grated peel.

More lemon trivia

Game system aims to slow the advance of dementia

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Naperville Sun

By JASON DUARTE For The Sun



When Naperville resident Jim McArdle began having trouble with his usual crossword puzzles and became frustrated with them, he went to see a doctor.

The 81-year-old was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease more than Last month, his son Jim E. McArdle of North Aurora entered a Father's Day online contest and won something that could help his father sort out life's other puzzles.

The system, called Dakim Brain Fitness, operates more like a game than a test, but tests both short- and long-term memory and operates in real time, adjusting the difficulty level based on each of the user's answers. The easy-to-use, touch-screen system aims to slow the advance of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. It hit the market in June.

The Dakim Brain Fitness System was created by inventor and CEO Dan Michel after he helped his father struggle through 13 years of Alzheimer's. During this time, Michel realized there is a therapeutic and emotional value in mental stimulation and came up with the system.

"It's based on standardized neurological tests," said Dakim representative Erika Schmit. "It tracks your success, and at the end of a session, you can see what your score is; long-term versus short-term."

As the elder McArdle answered the system's questions in his dining room, they would either get harder as he answered correctly, or easier if he answered incorrectly. This is what's known as "real time," Schmit said.

Watermelon art project

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, here is an easy fun art project for those in long term care with or without dementia



The above watermelon picture was from a shopping list tablet

Here is the a poem made up by a group of residents
Watermelon
We like our watermelon
cold juicy and sweet
We cannot wait to bite in
with our teeth
Yum yum, let's eat



Use this clip art as a base for the picture. Make copies of it,at least two for each participant.



Cut out the picture minus the rind. Place it on top of a red piece of paper. Cut a red piece the size of the white graphic



Pste it on another watermelon clip art paper. Have the participants draw seeds on it with black magic marker. Alternatly use black stickers for seeds.




You may want to cut offthe black outline of the rind and draw a green line for the skin representation in the picture. Paste a poem about watermelons on the paper if you desire. Making up some watermelon poems can be part of this project or done on another day
Alternately this project can be done in assembly line fashion. Each person has a job matching his/her skill level/
Or you can have a volunteer do most of the project and have the residents draw the seeds or save whatever job you think they can handle.

Smile ideas for those with dementia

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, here are some smile ideas from the book Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful, Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals, a book for those with dementia and an excellent resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals

Have a smile off.

See who can smile the longest.

Sing songs about smiles.

Read or make up a poem about smiles.
Talk about other emotions and facial expressions. Remember, those with memory impairments can relate well to emotions.

Draw faces with smiles or other facial expressions.

Smile songs
Till We Meet Again
Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu
When the clouds roll by I'll come to you.
Then the skies will seem more blue,
Down in Lover's Lane, my dearie.

Wedding bells will ring so merrily
Ev'ry tear will be a memory.
So wait and pray each night for me
Till we meet again.

Tho' goodbye means the birth of a tear drop,
Hello means the birth of a smile.
And the smile will erase the tear blighting trace,
When we meet in the after awhile.

Smile the while you kiss me sad adieu
When the clouds roll by I'll come to you
Then the skies will seem more blue
Down in Lover's Lane, my dearie,

Wedding bells will ring so merrily
Ev'ry tear will be a memory
So wait and pray each night for me
Till we meet again.

When You Are Smiling
When youre smilin, when youre smilin
The whole world smiles with you
When youre laughin, when youre laughin
The sun comes shinin through

But when youre cryin, you bring on the rain
So stop that cryin, be happy again
Keep on smilin, cause when youre smilin
The whole world smiles with you

When youre smilin, when youre smilin
The whole world, it smiles with you
When youre laughin, oh babe, when youre laughin
The sun would-a come shining through

But when youre cryin, you bring on the rain
So stop that sighin, come on and be happy again
Keep on smilin, cause when youre smilin, baby
The whole world smiles with you

Smiles
There are smiles, that make us happy
There are smiles, that make us blue
There are smiles, that steal away the teardrops
Like the Sunbeams steal away the dew

There are smiles, that have a tender meaning
That the eyes of love alone can see
But the smiles, that fill my life with sunshine
Are the smiles that you gave to...

But the smiles, that fill my life with sunshine
Are the smiles that you gave to me!

What's My Line?

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is a game for those with dementia and other long term care residents

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]

The first Monday in September is Labor Day, a perfect time to talk about former jobs of residents. You can play a game called “What My Line?”

First discuss former occupations of the audience members. Include answers to the following questions in your discussion of each job.
For lower functioning groups, discuss one or two occupations. Then have the audience guess the occupation of the mystery guest.
What’s My Line?
Suggested questions
Do you work inside?
Do you provide a service?
Do you wear a uniform?
Do you sit while you work?
Do you travel when you work?
Do you use your hands while you work?
Do you use tools while you work?
Do you entertain people while you work?
Do you work with other people?
Do you take care of other people?

Review the answers with the audience for a more successful outcome.

You can play this game many different ways depending on the abilities of your audience.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section.

Dementia & Person-Centred Care – Advanced Care Planning

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities

Lancashire and Information Library Service

Abstract:

Many people want to be able to plan ahead, so that if in the future they cannot make decisions or do things, their wishes will be known. This is called Advance Care Planning (ACP). Although it is part of official NHS policy (NHS End of Life Care Planning), ACP is hardly ever done, and it may become more difficult once a person has memory problems. In the UK, there is very little research into ACP. By the time someone has signs of dementia, families often become involved. We are uncertain how this affects ACP and the views of the person with dementia, particularly with the new Mental Capacity Act which allow families to comment on health, as well as financial, issues. Our study will be exploring the area of ACP, especially in dementia, by

• looking at the experience of other countries through a systematic review of the existing literature;

• finding out what people who have carried out ACP in this country think through interviews and focus groups;

• considering what factors might help professionals to encourage the process of ACP in practice; and

• looking at how ACP might be done better for people with dementia.

The ultimate aim of our study is to produce guidance on ACP for both people with dementia, their families and health care professionals.

Lancashire Care staff can request the full-text of this paper, email: susan.jennings@lancashirecare.nhs.uk

Strategies for infusing well-being (part 3)

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities

Long Term Living

Promoting Social and Mental Well Being

Offer a wide range of activity programming that includes card games, like bridge or even simpler ones, or brain teasers, such as Sudoku or crossword puzzles

Identify residents willing to lead sharing seminars or tutor other residents on subjects related to their own careers or interests (e.g., watercolor painting, Internet surfing, and political science)

Set up daily newspaper groups where the residents share information about a specific section to the rest of the group

Have activity items available on the unit for residents to “borrow” (e.g., craft or scrapbooking supplies, playing cards, lending library, sewing materials, model building supplies)


Establish a welcoming committee of residents who mentor new arrivals for their first month by answering questions, encouraging participation in activity groups, and making introductions to other residents

Encourage the formation of clubs (e.g., poker, book, drama, politics, and debate)

Hold contests that promote interaction (e.g., scavenger hunts, team competitions, and dance contests)

Schedule “open mic” events for residents to share poetry, comedy, and musical talents with each other

Organize residents to complete volunteer activities together for the local community



Occupational therapy practitioners are key partners in promoting well-being in the long-term care setting. With science, research, and evidence-based background that places equal importance on the physical, mental, social, and environmental factors that impact participation in meaningful daily activities, occupational therapy practitioners can expertly identify and eliminate barriers to wellness for this specific population of older adults. For example, occupational therapy practitioners can:

assess a resident's physical and cognitive capacity to engage in various facility activities (e.g., confirming a resident has the motor skills and attention to safely assist in assembling lottery calendars for a facility fund-raiser);

modify the environment to promote participation (e.g., installation of wheelchair-height flower boxes in the garden to allow residents to do their own spring planting);

adapt activities to facilitate engagement (e.g., introducing one-handed stabilizing devices and one-handed typing skills to allow a resident with a recent stroke to be able to return to publishing the monthly facility newsletter); and

assist residents in identifying and engaging in those activities of greatest importance to them (e.g., working with staff to develop a morning routine that enables a resident to get up and be ready in time for daily church services).


“The Well Elderly Study,” landmark research published in 1997,1 was the feature article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This study, conducted by occupational therapists at the University of Southern California, examined the effectiveness of occupational therapy in health promotion efforts for low-income, community-dwelling older adults. Results of this study demonstrated that occupational therapy was more effective than a control group that either received social activity services or no interventions in maintaining a healthy and more independent lifestyle. Subsequent follow-along studies proved the economic value of this preventive approach.

Wellness may seem to be an easily achievable goal if your facility has the programming and tools to address resident needs in a traditional format, but there are steps you can take to promote wellness in your setting even without specific resources.

The evidence for improving the well-being of those living in long-term care settings through occupational therapy and occupation-based interventions is significant. Such interventions can be integrated into daily programming by all staff and at minimal cost through identifying activities that are physically, mentally, and socially meaningful to residents and providing opportunities for engaging in them. If you are having difficulty getting started, ask your occupational therapy professionals to help you make the first step.

Strategies for infusing well-being (part 2)

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities

Long Term Living

Promoting Physical Well Being

Encourage residents to walk to the dining room and use regular chairs during meals

Allow residents to assist with self-care transfers, dressing, grooming, and bathing

Have residents help with simple chores (e.g., putting away their laundry, making their beds, and straightening up their rooms)

Develop specific exercise programs targeting strength, balance, and flexibility as well as sessions for those who must sit and for those who can stand

Start an afternoon walking club and encourage residents to join

Use the Wii or Wii Fit

Promoting Social Well Being in Part 3

Strategies for infusing well-being

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities

Long Term Living
Part 1

You can eliminate barriers to physical, social, and mental well-being
by Pamela E. Toto, MS, OTR/L, BCG, FAOTA and Laurel Cargill Radley, MS, OTR/L
What do you think of when you hear the term “well-being”? Does it imply happiness? Do we need perfect health to obtain it? The concept of well-being is certainly not new; however, increased use of the term to define health and measure quality of life has perpetuated a new focus on well-being in healthcare service delivery. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines well-being as a general term that encompasses physical, mental, and social aspects. WHO further suggests that in order to reach a state of complete well-being, “…an individual or group must be able to identify and realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment.” Well-being is recognized as a direct strategy to promote health.

But it is not a starry-eyed concept. It can be real for anyone of any age. A strong body of research supports that persons of all ages can benefit from activities targeted to help meet well-being needs. Key elements are:

The need for sufficient daily physical activity to promote physical well-being

A balance in the number and types of daily activity to sustain mental well-being

Opportunities to engage in meaningful interaction with others to facilitate social well-being

For older adults who experience chronic health conditions, need daily assistance with care, and reside in a long-term care setting, achieving well-being may seem to be an impossible task. In addition to cognitive and/or physical factors that may limit participation, residents in these settings are generally dependent on the formal resources available within the facility and the people who care for them. How can these resources be maximized?

Strategies to Promote Physical Well-Being in Part 2

Penguin marches into Mitchell

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is an interesting article

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities

Beacon Herald

Posted By Paul Cluff, STAFF REPORTER

Leave it to the hometown guy who won the Stanley Cup to sum up the excitement only the greatest trophy in sports can conjure up.

"It's the march of the Penguins," Jay Heinbuck said while balancing the Stanley Cup on his shoulder.

The director of amateur scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins brought the top prize in the National Hockey League home for a day and he shared it with just about everyone in town.

"I woke up at 3:30 in the morning, I was just rolling around so excited about this day. I was fortunate enough this year to win the Stanley Cup and that was such an awesome feeling, and I thought here is my opportunity to bring it (here)."

Mr. Heinbuck popped into a few downtown stores before bringing the trophy to the home of his cousin, Jack Fowler. Mr. Heinbuck and friends played road hockey and welcomed friends from the community for photo ops.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, I'm glad I got the day off work," said Craig Harris, who brought wife Meghan and son Calum to see the legendary trophy. "It is the genuine article, you can see all the dents in it."

Jodi Heinbuck said her husband had a list of invited friends but word soon spread and people went to watch some road hockey on Napier Street.

Mr. Fowler drove a classic fire truck through the town and before a cruise down Huron Street, they made stops at the Lions Pool and Mitchell Nursing Home.

"Jay is a good friend of some of the residents," said Cheryl Davidson, activity director at the nursing home.

"I couldn't believe when they told us at breakfast the Cup.....read all of Penguin marches into Mitchell

The Alzheimer's School

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is interesting information

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities

Alzheimer's and Dementia Weekly



A Mentor and student together at The Intergenerational School

Volunteers with Alzheimer's pair up
with young students for new study.

Here is a transcript of part of their story

Transcript

Ramona: "It is not scientists but local charter school students getting international attention for their Alzheimer's research. Now they just received an award in Singapore. The Intergenerational School paired up young students with senior volunteers suffering from mild-to-moderate dementia. Education reporter Kim Wheeler says they found both generations benefited from their time together."

Kim: "Dianne Leatherberry treasures her time mentoring students at the Intergenerational School."

Dianne Leatherberry, Mentor: "I feel really good about what I am doing because I feel like I am contributing to something."

Kim: "Mrs. Leatherberry's students know that sometimes she forgets things. That's OK with them."

Dianne: I think that's helped me get more comfortable with my memory issues, not so much that I am remembering better but that I am accepting it better."

Kim: "Back in 2007 they started a study at this K-8 charter school to see whether volunteering in a classroom like this can improve the quality of life of those suffering from Alzheimer's. Daniel George is a doctoral candidate at Oxford University. He conducted the research."

Daniel George: "What people said over and over again is that they just enjoyed the presence of kids. They appreciate the affection of children. They felt it was cognitively stimulating. It helped reduce stress for them."

A closer look at dealing with Dementia

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, chek this out.

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities,

By Jena Johnson -

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - It's a disease that affects more than five million Americans and the numbers are growing. Dementia causes various stages of memory loss and confusion, that's why nursing home staff believe safety is vital.

Juli Cook has been working with dementia patients for 24 years. "People with dementia will many times try to leave and go home," said Cook, Director of Admissions/Marketing at Pinecrest Retirement Center.

It's what she refers to as "elopement." She said the state requires dementia care programs certain safety procedures, like a secured key pad. "If they do wander off, they can't leave and put themselves in danger," said Cook.

Down the road, at Southland Health Care Center, 70% of their residents suffer from dementia. "It's our job to know where our patients are, what they are doing, so that we're able to meet their needs," said Gloria Bean, RN at Southland Health Care Center.

In both nursing homes, you have to punch a code to get in and out of the unit. "Of course the staff checks on the resident on a regular basis and there's another whole procedure in case a resident is missing and a whole protocol that you have to follow if that ever arises," said Cook.

There are different stages of dementia. Some nursing homes evaluate the seriousness of the disease, to determine if the home meets the patients' needs. "For those residents that...... read more about dealing with Dementia

Putting to rest fear of `a home'

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

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities,

Read about the Top Ten Nursing Home Niceties

Star.com

Many seniors can live out their days in enriched environment

Judy Steed
Special to the Star



It's a fact that most of us dread "ending up" in a nursing home.

It's a fear I overcame recently when Irene Borins Ash and her husband Irv took me to see three "good" nursing homes in the Toronto area. (They could have shown me 20, but I didn't have the time.)

They introduced me to three elders who live in long-term care: Earl Albrecht, 74, a retired Lutheran minister who has multiple sclerosis and gets around in a wheelchair at a Leisureworld nursing home; Maureen Hutchinson, 89, a retired librarian living at West Park Extendicare, where she is president of the Residents' Council for everyone living in long-term care in Ontario; and Bob Ransom, 85, the president of the Residents' Council at the Westbury, a Chartwell Seniors Housing facility.

Irene targeted me after my Atkinson Fellowship articles, the original Boomer Tsunami series, appeared in the Star. She noticed my admiration for the lively life in Swedish and Danish nursing homes, where the focus is on what you can do, and she wanted me to know that my concern about the "dead-head" existence of seniors in Ontario long-term care was not helping aging boomers already apprehensive about their future.

"People shouldn't be terrified of nursing homes," she says.

But they are.

"Shoot me in the head first, just don't put me in a nursing home," one of Irv's colleagues told him.

But there's another side to the story, and that's the focus of Borins Ash's book, Aging Is Living: Myth-Breaking Stories From Long-Term Care (Dundurn Press). Albrecht, Hutchinson and Ransom are featured in the book.

"I hate this place, I want to go home," Sandy Albrecht recalls her husband saying when he moved into Leisureworld, on Ellesmere Ave. near Kennedy Rd., in 2003. But she was unable to care for him at their beloved country house.

"Earl couldn't be moved by the PSW (personal support worker) – we would have had to get a power lift – and I couldn't shovel the driveway for the PSW to get in," Sandy says.

She moved to the city, to live with their daughter, to help look after her two grandchildren. Earl adjusted to Leisureworld, "and I'm still adjusting," he says. "Adapting to a new environment can be stimulating."

Initially, Earl led church services and did pastoral visits when residents were dying. Now he writes on his computer and gets involved with committees.

The hard part is making – and losing – friends. The average length of stay for people in long-term care is read all of Putting to rest fear of a nursing home

Lounge program benefits Village Manor residents with dementia

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here are some things that may work for you.

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities,

Special to Reflector-Chronicle

Editor’s note: First names are used in this article for privacy purposes.



According to the nursing staff at Village Manor, 705 N. Brady, Sue, a resident suffering from dementia, does not leave her room. She is not interested in group activities, and does not interact with other residents at the nursing home.

Dementia residents like Sue have a short attention span and often experience boredom and disinterest. This is common behavior for people experiencing the advanced stages of dementia. Other advanced dementia traits can be agitation, combativeness, restlessness, and wandering.

“Sometimes it is difficult to engage these residents, even for just a few minutes,” said Jan Mai, RN, special care unit staff educator. “And with group activities, it is rare that we have every resident on the same page at the same time.”

Last year, Mai and other Village Manor staff attended a training workshop on Alzheimer’s and dementia and learned about the lounge program, which has seen success with Alzheimer’s and dementia residents in other nursing homes. As a result, Village Manor has started a lounge program on its special care unit that provides individual and small group activities to all residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

A lounge room has strength-based stations that are specific to the individual’s level of functioning and interests. These stations are tables the resident can visit with props they may hold and use. The props are everyday familiarities that engage the mind and may include jewelry, sewing materials, tools, and puzzles. The majority of residents in Village Manor’s special care unit have advanced dementia. “Sorting” stations are the most beneficial for people in this stage, Mai said.

“These sorting activities are ideal because it helps with the ‘rummaging’ behaviors that are common with people who have advanced dementia. Sometimes residents will attempt to go into areas they don’t belong, such as other residents’ rooms, and rummage through things,” Mai said. “The lounge area gives them a safe place to do this, and it lessens boredom.”

After collecting donated items and shopping in thrift stores, Mai set up three sorting stations- jewelry, sewing, and cooking. She hopes to create a table that would engage male residents with materials such as sand paper, hand tools, nuts and bolts. She also would like to add soft background music.

A nurse or nursing assistant, called a “butterfly,” is to guide the resident from station to station. The butterfly is to be very quiet and provide few cues. If the resident loses interest in one station, the butterfly will show them the next station and see if it will peak their interest. It is up to the resident when they choose to leave.

Sue approached the “cooking” station with Mai and looked over the measuring spoons, pots, and other assorted kitchen ware. Mai held out a colorful apron that women of Sue’s generation would have worn and asked her if she thought it was pretty. Sue replied that she thought it was pretty.

Life enhancement coordinator Lynette Hill picked up a cookbook by Billie Oakley and showed it to Sue.

“Do you remember when ‘Kitchen Klatter’ was on the radio? Billie Oakley hosted that show. This is one of her cookbooks.”

After a moment of thought, Sue said yes, she did remember the show.

After a few minutes, Sue tells Hill that she is ready to leave. Hill escorts her back to her room, and is surprised when Sue holds a brief conversation with another resident in the hallway.

“We just witnessed a miracle,” Hill said. “That is the most engagement we’ve had with Sue since she started living here. I have never seen her talk with another resident.”

When Velda, another resident with dementia, enters the room, she is guided to the....read all of Lounge program benefits residents with dementia

New Medicaid rules aim to reduce nursing home admissions

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some interesting info

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities,

projo.com
By Steve Peoples

Journal State House Bureau

Rose Belanger, a resident of Elmhurst Extended Care, will leave the nursing home as a result of new Medicaid rules.
The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer
PROVIDENCE –– Rose Belanger is a fighter, a 79-year-old spitfire raised in the Italian neighborhoods of Federal Hill.

She reluctantly became a nursing home resident in January, hobbled by her second serious fall in two years.

“They said I’d be wheelchair-bound. I fooled them,” she said with a defiant grin this week, sitting in what has been her home for the last six months, Elmhurst Extended Care.

Now, Belanger is fighting to go home.

It doesn’t matter that she has poor hearing, kidney disease, and needs to use a walker. Backed by the Carcieri administration’s push to rebalance Rhode Island’s long-term care system, Belanger –– and dozens more nursing home residents –– plan to leave costly medical institutions voluntarily in the coming months.

“I’d rather live in the apartment. I’ve never lived in a facility like this. Not that this isn’t a good place. But … ,” she said, shaking her head. “Not for me.”

Under the new system –– made possible by an unprecedented five-year agreement with the federal government known as the “global Medicaid waiver” –– hundreds of seniors will be encouraged to leave or be diverted from costly institutions based on stricter eligibility standards that took effect July 1.

Belanger is among the first wave of seniors who carry on their shoulders the hopes of state policymakers and budget officials.

The state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 projects $27 million in savings directly related to “authority provided under the global waiver,” according to the Department of Human Services. To meet those projections, the state must “divert or transition” 50 seniors each month –– a 20 percent reduction from the 250 who entered a nursing home each month over the last year –– away from nursing homes, according to DHS.

Regulations affecting disabled residents and children in long-term placements are expected to follow in the near future.

Industry officials acknowledge that the new system will have dramatic implications for some of the state’s 92 nursing homes that currently offer a total of 9,281 beds.

“There will be some collapsing of the nursing homes,” said Elmhurst Extended Care vice president and administrator Richard Gamache, adding that the stronger homes, such as his, would survive. “Maybe I’m a little naive, but I’m not fearful of the global waiver.”

Belanger doesn’t involve herself with the political or financial implications of the Medicaid overhaul.

She’s simply grateful the new system allows her to use Medicaid dollars to pay for visiting nurses, minor home modifications, and adult daycare. With those supports, she plans to move into a private apartment with her longtime boyfriend in the next “month or two.”

“I’m excited about picking out the curtains,” she said. “I’m a typical girl.”

But Belanger’s path to independent living will not be an easy one.

Five months shy of her 80th birthday, she has numerous health problems. Her grown daughters work full time and cannot provide regular care for their ailing mother. And questions remain about the availability of services for the exodus of frail senior citizens moving into the community.

While administration officials play down capacity concerns, the state last week issued a comprehensive survey trying to gauge the situation.

“The state is sponsoring an independent survey to assess the capacity of on-the-ground providers in the state to meet both the current and future demand for long-term supports and services as the population ages and the state looks to restructure the long-term care system to better meet the needs of Rhode Islanders,” wrote Gary Alexander, secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, in a letter to medical providers dated July 1, the same day the new nursing home standards took effect.

And there is a question of what would happen to people like Belanger, who leave, but later wish to return.

They would not be guaranteed nursing home re-admission, based on legislation approved by the General Assembly late last month. Instead, along with all prospective nursing home residents, they would be subject to tighter standards guaranteeing admission only to those who, for example, “require extensive assistance or total dependence” with at least one “activity of daily living,” such as toilet use, eating, bed mobility and at least “limited assistance” with another activity.

The state has hired...read all of reduce nursing home admissions

Nursing Home Activities

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here are some things you may already know.

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

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here are more interesting dementia articles and activities,

eHow
Kristen Fischer



Activities in nursing homes are designed to give residents an opportunity to interact socially with one another while participating in things they enjoy. From bingo to sing-a-longs, video games to yoga, nursing facilities are providing the residents with their favorite activities while introducing advanced means of stimulating their minds and bodies.

Monthly Birthday Parties
Hold a group birthday party to celebrate everyone born in a given month. Decorate a room and provide cake and refreshments, party hats and festive plates and cups.

Musical Events
Bring in a variety of performers, with special entertainment at holidays. One month hold a sing-along; the next host a pianist or guitarist; at Christmas, invite area schoolchildren to sing. Ask the seniors what kind of music they enjoy, such as tunes from their younger days.

Cookouts
Hold cookouts in warmer weather for both residents and staff. Not only does this serve to get residents outside, but it also gives them a chance to enjoy food they may not ordinarily have, such as grilled chicken, burgers and ice cream.

Sunday Worship
By federal law, nursing facilities must offer residents the opportunity to attend a religious service of their choice. Facilities typically hold services that are non-denominational.

Exercise Classes
Design exercise classes to suit people of all abilities, including those who use wheelchairs. Some nursing facilities have begun incorporating yoga and Tai Chi classes.

Playing Video Games
Many facilities have incorporated the Nintendo Wii into their activities. The video games simulate bowling, golf, even tennis. Even if physically impaired, players can sharpen many of their skills. Besides stimulating minds and bodies, the video games introduce seniors to new technology